Dakota Apache
by lizzy74656
Summary: Follows events set in White Dream. Two N'de of Abnaki dream of Kindred Spirit. What is happening to him? They and the Silver Keepers try to find out. Final chapter added.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns STVoy. Mores the pity! Other characters are mine.

**Dakota – Apache.**

Friend – Enemy

by lizzy74656 May 2001

Restarted June 2007

_Takes place 18yrs after White Dream. Year is 2394 – spring. Episode alluded to: Endgame – STVOY._

The freshening breeze stirred across the sun-drenched landscape of the wide meandering river valley, with its sprawling urban dwellings. No two buildings were alike, yet surprisingly the mismatched houses blended well with each other; only the main admin building stood tall and smooth sided above the sprawl around it. To the east side stood a collection of large barn-like buildings around the top end of a long wide runway. Here shuttlecrafts moved about, along with the land hover vehicles.

Here upon the valleys rolling hillsides everything in Kaldora's First City seemed small and insignificant, from the elevated viewpoint. Light hazel eyes gazed at the scene in worried reflection, feeling the breeze strengthen, causing the person to shiver – not because it was cold – but for the winds of change that were sweeping through the city below; winds that did not bode well for her or those she loved here. Sighing resigned; she gathered up her wind blown long silver hair and re-fastened it into its practical ponytail as she walked toward her hover-flyer. The female was tall, slim and of athletic build; strong lean limbs and about in her early twenties. Her face was a long heart shape with high cheekbones beneath her soft honey coloured skin – if not for her hair colour – she could have passed for a native Kaldoran. Yet her silver coloured hair – from which she took her name – marked her as alien/different. Her figure was covered in the standard dark green one-piece coveralls of her profession, that of tactical engineering. She stepped into her personal hover vehicle and flew it back to the landing fields; to resume her job.

The usual hustle and bustle at the big shed was rather absent, as she parked her vehicle, with only a few people milling around and none that she knew well. So she decided to make her way home, feeling very on edge knowing something was very wrong. People stared at her as she passed, most with open hatred others turned away shunning her, their usual pleasant greetings missing, as she walked the quiet streets. How grateful she was to see her parents home just ahead of her.

Suddenly three burly youths blocked her path; although they were stronger in build than she, she didn't feel threatened only quietly alert and ready to defend herself, knowing there would be no one to help her. Brandon's gruff voice broke the silent menace, forcing the rather sullen three to give her room to pass. One of the males caught her arm and held it tight, as she moved to go between them.

"You've got away this time. Caste!" he sneered; roughly throwing her forward. She kept her feet and continued to walk steadily to Brandon, her adopted father, who stood solidly in the open doorway of the family home. The big gruff, now a little grey at the edges, protectively ushered her into the house, where Rowena embraced the young woman, pleased she was home, safe and sound.

"Father? What is going on?" she asked worried now.

"Hush, Little One. We'll await the others," he said, having closed the door firmly behind him. She knew her questions would remain unanswered until he chose to tell her; so she went through into the large lounge to wait.

The days shadows lengthen as the sun westered, yet still Brandon remained silent saying nothing even after the rest of his extended family came home safely. Olan; silver-haired and of the same build as his father's adopted daughter, joined the female who was five years his senior, along with his half-twin sister, Owissa. The humanoid female took very much after the build and colouring of her parents; with her father's ginger hair and her mother's green/hazel eyes. Both new arrivals sat together wary, sensing the general unease.

Their other three siblings joined their mother in the warm kitchen; having read their father's brooding expression and decided to stay well out of harms way; not that their father would have physically harmed them, better to be safe than sorry.

A knock at the main door made them jump. Brandon quietly walked over and let the caller in; cautioning the young male not to say a word. He was a tall solid built individual, though slimmer than his host; red/gold hair a mass of youthful curls around his open sunny face; bright blue eyes taking everything in. He was just getting over the gawky late teenage stage; in a few years he would be quite handsome. Even now the girls hankered after him, not that he noticed, as he went about his job as shuttle pilot; dressed in the standard dark reddish/brown coveralls with silver wings on the left breast pocket and two silver pips on the collar. Not a word or sound broke the silence among these five waiting people as the darkness settled around them. Rowena closed the long drapes at the windows and lit only one lamp within the room; she gently kissed her husband's cheek as she passed him, before returning to the kitchen and ushered her other three to their beds, amidst their gentle half-hearted protests.

Another knock at the main door caused Brandon to sigh with relief as he went to let the caller in. He made sure the door was firmly closed before speaking.

"I didn't think I'd make it," the male said, breathing heavily. Brandon guided his friend into the lounge and the four waiting expectant faces. "You haven't told them, then?"

"No Jabez. I haven't. I was awaiting your arrival," the big males tone measured. The newcomer looked at him a little startled. "Please be seated," he said, feeling his wife join him and slip her hand comfortingly into his. For a moment he didn't speak, just gazed sadly at the people in front of him, knowing it would probably be the last time he saw any of them.

"Kitto. How did the Starship's test flight go?"

"Like a dream. She is beautiful," the young redhead said his blue eyes bright. "I can't wait to fly her in deep space. We've still to sort out and connect the transwarp; otherwise I think she's about ready to go," his tone excited and over eager. He was pleased that his host smiled at his enthusiasm. Rowena left to answer a gentle knock at the rear door. She soon returned with an auburn haired female, who went and sat with the surprised Jabez; her husband.

"You may get your chance sooner than you think, Kitto." No one said a word. "Did you do as I'd asked?" The young male nodded dumbly. The silver-haired female stood and looked about to say something, frowning puzzled by the feelings coming from her father, but he spoke first: "Most of you will be taking a trip in the Starship, tonight." His words caused everyone to start speaking at once, yet he just stood there and let it wash over him, waiting for the hubbub to die on its own. "All of you, with the exception of Jabez and Tatiana will make for the Starship tonight."

"Why, father?" asked his true first daughter. He held out his hand to her, which she took and was enfolded into his large embrace.

"Magan; is Judge of Justice." Silence reigned as each realised what that meant for each one of them within the room. The male had made no secret of the fact, that he disliked the idea of space travel and all the various technologies it entailed. But it was his intense hatred of the N'de and those who looked after them, the Silver Keepers, which made him a real danger.

"He certainly didn't waste anytime," Kitto muttered sourly. "It isn't even a full week since…" he couldn't continue the thought, head bowed. Tatiana put a gentle hand on his arm, as she too remembered that odd day when they'd honoured the death of Phelan; Kitto's Grandfather – who had been Kaldora's first Judge of Justice, over the last 16yrs. Their eyes met sorrow and shared grief passed between them, only to be broken by Jabez:

"Brandon. I'm staying here with you. You'll need all the support…" he trailed as his friend shook his head.

"No Jabez. Phelan and I discussed this a long time ago. He knew how Magan felt and what he would do. No you and Stella must leave with the others," he gently squeezed his daughter and then moved toward his friend and clasped his shoulders. "I'm entrusting you to be guardian of my family." Startled gasps sounded in reaction to this news. Jabez stared with wide dark hazel eyes at his ginger haired friend, knowing what a heavy responsibility had just been placed upon him.

"I accept," he said simply swallowing hard, feeling the eyes of all the youngsters upon him, sad, surprised and yet trusting.

"Good," sighing with a broad smile of relief. He'd been afraid Jabez would fight him to stay and remove Magan from office. Brandon then went on to explain his plan, his voice light but his eyes sad. Everyone knew they would not be returning to Kaldora once they'd left and made the most of Brandon and Rowena's company, sharing a small meal together, before leaving just after midnight. Silently those who were to go to the Starship slipped out into the darkness, hoping not to be followed by Magan's minions.

Tatiana looked at her parents of the last eighteen years; with such deep love and longing that she thought her heart would break. Rowena held her close silently telling her that they would always love her, no matter where she went, they would always keep her close to their hearts. Brandon held them both within his large embrace. Emotions running high she kissed them both and then retreated to her room. Unable to settle she decided to gather up her personal belongings ready for her departure in the early morning. Jabez and his wife Stella had gone to their own home to do much the same, only that Stella would be transported aboard the starship before it left the planet entirely. Using only the single light source in the hallway, so as not to attract undue attention to her being awake; she brought out the one item she knew she could never leave behind. Removing it from its special hiding place she sat on her bed and held the smooth stone with its special markings, quietly remembering where, when and who had given it to her:

The male had taken her via his quarters instead of directly to the transporter room. Not a word passed between them as he brought the unusual bundle from its hiding place and then carefully unwrapped the skin covering. Inside were three items; a blackbird's wing, a small rectangle device and the stone. His strong fingers caressed it before picking it up and gently placing it in both her small hands. He'd knelt down to her level so their eyes met; hazel and deep brown. In them she saw not herself but the image of how she'd first met him. Softly blinking away the tears she looked at the stone and then him. His smile was warm; there were still no words for none were needed. They'd then resumed their journey to the transporter, with her precious gifts tucked into a soft pouch that included the reed flute.

Looking again at the special stone it blurred with her tears, feeling the warmth of the man's smile in it. Carefully she put it back in the soft pouch along with the reed flute, which was added to the holdall containing the rest of her things.

As dawn broke she said a quiet farewell to her half-siblings, as the half-twins had done last night. They all hugged her tight; only the eldest was dry eyed at that moment.

"Good hunting, Tatti," he whispered, hazel eyes now misting with his tears.

"To you also, Shikasha," she responded. Breathing deeply to keep her own torn emotions under control, she pulled herself erect and calmly walked away from the house without a backward glance, Jabez beside her. Together they walked the empty streets to the landing fields with heavy hearts, yet their heads high. No one saw them, thus they arrived at the shuttle shed without mishap.

It wasn't long before they fired up and off into the glory of the morning sky and left Kaldora far behind.

The web spun around and around, no way out of the silver strands. A pattern of stars shone brightly amidst the webs soft strands, coming together to form into a large white furred lupine with deep amber eyes. He turned his noble head to look at the dreamer; over his left eye was the tribal mark that appeared to mingle with the webs silver strands.

Suddenly he lunged forward, causing the dreamer to wake startled, heart pounding and stare up at the dream-catcher swinging in the dawn wind above her head, with part of the constellation of Lupus visible through the tepee's smoke hole. From her perspective it looked as if the fading stars were caught in the web of her silver stranded dream-catcher.

She laid there her heartbeat slowing quietly recalling the dream.

It wasn't the first time he'd come to her in the dreams of the night, but it was the first time he'd moved so dangerously toward her. The young female sat up and looked round the tent, where the rest of her family slept on blissfully unaware. Quietly she got up and moved outside to take in the early signs of the dawning sun. Lupus shone down in the ever-lightening sky above her. As she watched the white lupine formed within the constellation; his dark eyes regarded her with a deep sadness that puzzled her. Then he shuddered from nose to tail and then vanished, leaving only the brightest stars shining in the sky. A soft breeze sprang up rustling the spring leaved trees around her, causing her to shiver, hearing a call faint and distant.

"I'll come," she whispered, the breeze and call dying with the strengthening sun as it poked its nose over the hidden horizon, banishing the last of the stars from the sky; except one. It seemed to brighten and then vanished.

The silver-grey haired male looked up hearing the soft call in the dying breeze. A shudder coursed down his spine making him feel cold in spite of the strengthening warmth of the rapidly rising sun. Coming toward him, white hair flying was the young female, Wenonah; she raced across the spring grass of the obelisk river valley urgency in her straining stride. He waded across the shallow river to meet her, gently halting her mad dash. Breathing laboured the young eighteen year old stood panting before him her amber eyes beseeching.

"I heard," he finally whispered as her breathing started to slow to its normal rhythm. "Now we wait. The Silver Keepers will come," turning his eyes toward the western mountains.

"Hakan?!" she said, worried and frustrated at his calmness.

"Hush. Patience, little one, patience. You'll see," his tone wise with the wisdom of his forbearers. "Have you broken-fast?" he asked quietly; she shook her head. "Come we will do so together," taking her hand, his amber eyes gentle as he led her to his small wick-up in the stand of trees to the south of the alien obelisk, which hummed softly.

She'd always enjoyed these flights across the blackness of space to the planet that their shuttle's sensors said wasn't there, yet to their eyes through the shuttle's main forward portal glowed a soft blue/green jewel colour. Jabez worked the pilot controls manoeuvring into position for their entry in through the planet's shields.

"You'd better set the command frequency and tell Olan to do the same," he said not taking his eyes off the console. Tatiana felt her half-brother's voice in her mind, telling her he was ready whilst she opened the channel to the obelisk on Abnaki – Morning Land. Her heart felt heavy now realising she and her fellows had no home, no purpose or goal, feeling the obelisk computer scan her DNA. Slowly a gap opened in the planet's defence shields, allowing them entry to the planet surface that their sensors said was there below them. Carefully Jabez guided the small craft through the window, the new Starship close on their tail; following the path set for them by the obelisk, to land in the river plain.

Below two sets of amber eyes watched the two vastly different ships fly in from the west. The first was the usual small streamline shuttle craft they'd been use to over the many seasons, it had visited, capable of carrying up to three persons with limited space for some cargo storage. The second ship was larger and yet more graceful than the shuttle. Its smooth surface shone in the sunlight, tracing the curved body and up over the high swept-up tail and along the leading edges of her broad swept back and downward pointing wings. Hakan felt he was looking at an oversized metal swan; such was her silhouetted shape. Both ships landed safely, the shuttle close to where he and Wenonah waited; the larger ship behind. On seeing the silver-haired female emerge from the smaller craft, he bounded over to her like a young puppy, rather than as the elder stately male he was. The female stayed where she was trying to ignore the way her male friend and mentor was disgracing himself – well in her young eyes – with the tall slender upright woman.

Tatiana knelt down and held Hakan close, his musky scent warm and comforting; she held his muzzle in both her hands and gazed into his amber eyes. Jabez didn't interrupt as he disembarked the shuttle, knowing that the two were communicating.

Slowly the woman stood her hand in the thick neck ruff of the silver-grey N'de, her eyes sad and distant.

"Tatti!" a voice called from the direction of the larger ship. The male ran toward them his red/gold curls bouncing. Panting he reached her and repeated her name questioningly. She blinked at him as if she'd been far away; he quietly put an arm round her, noticing the tears.

"Kitto! He's dying!"

"Who, Tatti?" he asked softly, holding her a little closer.

"Kindred Spirit," she whispered, moving into the male's warm embrace. He held her tight feeling her body shake with her sobs, whilst he gazed at the N'de who sat looking forlorn behind her. Jabez leaned against the shuttle for support feeling drained, knowing he need not contact the others aboard the Starship; for Olan would have said, being linked to Tatiana telepathically.

Owissa stood close to Olan at the free standing double computer console that sat up and behind the pilot and navigator's console sighted in the ship's nose and watched the scene outside through the area's large oval window that arched gracefully over the whole of the bridge, giving them all round vision. From the outside though it was if the ship had no visible windows, as the Perspex glass was one-way vision only, out not in. Stella felt as if she would cry, sitting on the side couch the tears welling in her hazel eyes.

"What now?" she asked quietly, though not really expecting any answer, hearing the others enter the area via the turbo-lift at the rear of the bridge.

"There is only one thing we can do for now," said her husband, Jabez, his tone determined. "We get this ship up and running to full working space worthiness. Olan…."

"I know. Tatti has explained," smiling softly.

"I'll have to remember that," grinning at the young eighteen year old. "Right time to get started, we've a lot to accomplish. Just as well Brandon told us about those stores," his eyes sad. Stella went to him and put her arm around his waist and kissed his cheek softly.

"Having something positive to concentrate on will help. But we all need to come to terms with what is happening," she advised.

"You're right, my sweet," he said, sighing deeply; tone brisk he gave his orders. Olan knew his task – the obelisk; Kitto was to deal with the stores and stow them on board along with the shuttle; he and Tatti would check the engines over and get them fully operational. "Whilst you two women get supper," his expression cheeky; ducking his wife's scornful yet playful swipe at him. It eased the emotional tension as they set off to deal with their assigned tasks.

Wenonah watched them feeling a little left out of things, yet wanting to help in some small way. Hakan trotted beside the red/gold haired upright male as they made their way along the half-ravine valley behind the obelisk. A silver-haired male went up into the base of the humming alien structure - via the open square - that Hakan had opened. Curious she went closer. Her mentor had always advised her to leave not long after the shuttle had arrived on the planet, so she had no idea what was happening within the strange structure. All the times that the Silver Keepers had come she'd been told to return home, now it was if Hakan had forgotten she was still around; therefore she now had an open opportunity to discover why these uprights came to Abnaki. Head on one side she studied the open square hole, seeing the steps leading downwards, her nose testing the air, ears alert to the sounds within. Slowly she stepped forward and descended the steps.

Inside the structure, Olan worked steadily beneath one of the wall consoles, he worked to install the new piece of equipment – a data link node. He loved dealing with problem solving especially if it involved working out a new computer program or a mathematical problem. Therefore he was unaware of the visitor until she spoke.

//Hello!// said the soft hesitant female voice, startling him that he banged his head as he came out from under the console. //Sorry!// the female said, looking worriedly at the male as he sat rubbing the painful area of his skull.

"I've suffered worse," he said ruefully, sitting still looking at the female, her amber eyes wary. "Do you have a name? I'm Olan – inheritor," he explained quietly gazing at the white Lupine/N'de. For a moment he wondered if she would respond, slowly she relaxed and sat back on her hunches.

//Wenonah – firstborn daughter//

"Pleased to meet you, Wenonah," he smiled. It lit up his honey coloured face with such warmth and trust, it so surprised the young female that her ears shot up straight. "You'll do," he teased. "Want to help?" She nodded, still a little in awe of the male, but he asked her to fetch his tool roll from near the steps, whilst he disappeared back under the console once more. Wenonah heard his voice more in her mind than her ears, which at first puzzled her, yet the mental images she received along with the words helped her to work well with him as he installed the new device that would keep her people safe on Abnaki.

Hakan and Kitto passed the sealed cavern that housed the remains of the Silver ones who'd perished when the obelisk had scrambled all computer functions within range over eighteen years ago. The two halted and stood there for a silent moment; although Hakan didn't understand the upright's grief, he respected it. Kitto mentally shook himself and scratched behind the silver/grey's ears and then they moved on. This first flowering/new leaf day was really beautiful; birds sang greeting the morning with such a joyous sound that it was hard to remain sad. Hakan gave a yip-bark sound, amber eyes quietly laughing and picked up the pace. Kitto smiled and jogged along, red/gold curls bouncing. Soon the two of them were racing for the sheer fun of doing so and being very much alive; at the high meadow they cut a swathe through the tall grasses, before lying down hidden among the tall stems, panting, yet happy. The male pulled the Lupine close to him, hugging the creature, feeling his warmth and musky scent.

"If only life could always be like this," he sighed closing his blue eyes.

//Unfortunately it is not// the male N'de said. //Even here on Abnaki there is hardship. It is how you deal with it that makes life worth living//

"Words of wisdom, my friend," he teased, looking into the amber eyes standing above him.

//Don't mock!// came the scolding voice.

"I wasn't. My apologies, Fiery," Kitto said, sitting up hugging his knees to his chest. "It's just so easy to forget…things here," he said wistful gazing out over the meadow.

//Come//he softly commanded, licking the male's cheek. They'd gone some distant back to toward their objective when Hakan spoke//I do understand// Kind hands played with his ears telling him without words that the young male appreciated his company and concern.

Back at the river valley in the engine room of the new starship, Jabez – his dark golden hair standing on end – checked the console in front of him before the transwarp drive as it ticked over. On the over side of the core he could just make out the silver-haired head of his companion – Tatiana – working on one of the wall panels.

"Readings are within normal parameters," she said her tone clipped and almost devoid of emotions. It distracted him from his own readings, prompting a gentle reminder from the ship's computer. They continued to work, for the most part in silence, speaking only when necessary, bringing all the systems on-line and to full working order.

"None of these systems have been fully tested," he said casually, still checking the data on the transwarp drive. "Although we know most of it works in theory."

"Not until we get into open space, will it be fully tested," her voice quiet in his ear, making him jump not realising she'd moved to stand near him. "I'm sorry." He smiled at her, his hand over his hammering heart.

"No apology needed, Tatti. We're all on edge," he sighed wearily. Then Stella's voice echoed over the com-system:

"If you want to eat; better come and get it."

"We'll be right there," he replied enthused, but it seemed Stella didn't hear him. Tatti grinned.

"I think we'd better sort out the com-system. After we've eaten," they said the latter in unison and laughed.

"You know what Stella is like if we're late," he noted softly, a mischievous grin on his face. Tatti beat him to the main entryway of engineering as they ran through the ship's corridors to arrive at the mess area, rather out of breath but still smiling broadly. Stella glared at them both and asked what had kept them.

"Oh nothing much," Jabez said, winking at his young companion. Owissa watched the happy banter feeling more at ease, seeing her friends happy. Olan arrived with a young white N'de trotting at his heel. On seeing the other uprights, she half hid behind his legs.

"This is Wenonah," he said and proceeded to introduce all the uprights to the female N'de. Tatti moved closer carefully and squatted down to Wenonah's level and took the youngsters muzzled into her hands and gazed deep into the amber eyes. It was some minutes later when they broke eye contact, that the N'de moved forward and licked the woman's nose.

"I think she likes you, Tatti," Olan said amused.

"Who likes whom?" asked a male voice.

"Wenonah," said the silver female, standing to her full height with a gentle smile for the red/gold haired newcomer. Kitto smiled back, pleased; Hakan at his side. The two N'de nosed each other and then a voice exclaimed:

"Isn't anyone hungry!?" her tone indignant. The responses were varied with 'starving', 'sure', 'famished', etc; laughter echoed around the area as they sat down for their first meal together aboard the new starship that had yet to be given a name as well as a purpose.

Meantime back on Kaldora, Magan sat in the office chambers that had been those of the first Judge of Justice, Phelan. He congratulated himself on getting elected without any undue problems or hassle, to the position that he felt was his by rights of birth. The only stumbling block that he could see to his remaining Judge for the foreseeable future was Brandon.

"Now how to get rid of him," he said softly to himself, his scheming mind working overtime on the problem as he saw it. Magan's private musings were interrupted by a polite knock at the chamber's door. "Come," he said, remembering where he was and what his function was. In stepped – surprisingly – the man of his dark thoughts.

"Brandon!" he exclaimed, trying to cover his surprise as he stood to greet the male. The other said nothing just quietly sat down in front of the desk behind which Magan stood warily eying the big male.

"I'll come straight to the point of my visit," Brandon began carefully as the other male sat down slowly. "My family and I will be moving to the new territories in the north," pausing to let his news sink in. "I have all the necessary paper work here signed and sealed," putting a neat small flat file with the Justice's office seal on the cover on the desk between them. Stunned Magan stared at it then Brandon who stood. "Goodbye, Magan. Judge of Justice," he said formally, bowing slightly and then took his leave. He sat there just staring at the file with its silver seal – a winged delta shape. He couldn't understand it; Brandon, Phelan and even Jabez were or had been stumbling blocks that had stood it **his** way ever since they'd come to Kaldora; now at least two of them were gone. Another knock at the door interrupted his whirling thoughts again, but this time it was only his personal assistant. A woman in her mid thirties who'd been Phelan's personal aide, during his time as Judge, entered, closed the door, shut the electronic blinds over the windows and put a small data block into the computer slot on his desk and then left, closing the door firmly behind her without having spoken a word to him.

_#Hello, Magan#_

"Phelan!" he whispered startled and then noted that the holo-imager was working, projecting an image of the old man sitting on the chair opposite him.

_#This is to welcome you to your new office. I hope you care for your new responsibilities wisely#._ The voice still made Magan squirm in his seat feeling uneasy.

Although to most outsiders, Magan had appeared to be Phelan's right-hand man, the truth was far different than appearances would have led people to believe. He had hated being in Phelan's shadow, always at the man's beck and call. Not that Phelan had treated him harshly or ridiculed him, because he hadn't. Phelan had always treated him in a kindly manner with a firm hand to keep Magan from going astray or from upsetting the status quo. In all the 16yrs Phelan had been Judge he'd never once said anything or reprimanded Magan over the events on Abnaki. Nor had he mentioned them to Brandon. Their first two years on Kaldora had been used to learn about their new home and settle in. Once First City had been established Phelan had accepted the people's urgings that he be their first legal adviser and permanent leader.

_#I wouldn't try switching this off. It is set to run complete and then it will be wiped clean#_ the voice of the ghost said; making Magan jump away guiltily from the computer to look at the image opposite him.

_#Brandon will have already visited you with his papers for re-location to the Northern Territories as teacher of geological studies. Governor Merlyn will be apprised of the situation as soon as this recording is complete#_ the image looked directly at Magan making him squirm in his seat again. _#I know __**you**__, Magan#_ pausing, his tone quiet and firm. _#I'm aware that I am not a well man these days; therefore it is only a question of when. That is why I have tied up all my affairs, both professional and personal, so you need not worry about those. As for funding to the continuation of the Space programme#._ Magan wondered what was coming, puzzled by the intensity of the holo-images' gaze. _#It has been withdrawn and all research into warp and hyper drives etc will have being scaled down. Sciences have been moved to new facilities in the North-west Mountains, with the mandate to continue our High Council's research into this solar system using ground base and satellite monitoring devises#_. Magan was not pleased, but that mandate had come with them, so there was nothing he could do about it, even if their home planet was no longer alive.

#_As to Jabez and the Silver Keepers! They will no longer be on Kaldora. As to where? Only they will know that#_. The image smiled softly. _**I **__Phelan wish you Magan Judge of Justice well in your new office. Wear the mantel comfortably. Adieu!#_ with that the image vanished and the data block whirled and then ejected, startling Magan.

He stabbed the button on his desk to summon his aide; she entered quietly, re-opened the blinds and laid the data block on the desk ready for reuse.

"What do **you** know about this?" he demanded coldly.

"Nothing, Judge Magan; only that Judge of Justice Phelan asked me to make sure that you viewed it after it was given to me," she said calmly, ignoring his muttered cursing. It hadn't escaped his notice that in relation to Phelan she'd used the full title, but with him only 'Judge'. That irked him as if he was still living in Phelan's shadow. "Judge; Sir. Phelan made no mention of the contents of the data block to anyone, only that Brandon would give it to me for you to view **alone**. I did ask Brandon if he knew what it contained. His answer was an honest no, Sir." She stood waiting as he digested what she'd told him. "Judge Magan. Your orders, Sir?" she asked politely.

"What?" he snapped startled.

"Your orders, Judge Magan," she calmly repeated.

'_Wear the mantel comfortably' _he thought, almost hearing the voice that had uttered those words. "Yes, of course," feeling uneasy. "Can you check on the whereabouts of Jabez and the Silver ones? Then report back to me," he smiled, doing his best to squash the growing uneasy in the pit of his stomach.

"Shall I bring the day's agenda in, Sir?" having noted his request.

"Yes, yes of course. Please do." The female left quietly a soft knowing smile on her face.

"You've really taken the wind out of **his** sails, Phelan," she said softly to herself, picking up the agenda file, about to return to the main chamber she spoke to her subordinate: "Shari. Please check on the whereabouts of Jabez and the Silver ones," she said over her shoulder to the younger female.

"Ma'am?! I believe they left this morning via shuttlecraft. As they always do on this day," Shari responded somewhat startled and puzzled by the request.

"Check it anyway," her tone firm and then re-entered the chambers.

"Yes, Ma'am," she acknowledged, accessing the local com-net.

Night creatures went about their nocturnal business ignoring the new white shiny interloper that stood proud on the river plain below the alien obelisk that added its usual quiet hum to the night star dusted air. Suddenly a howl of anguish and fear cut across the night scene. The creatures of the night shadows became still and alert; yet not really alarmed. The only change in the scene was that the white interloper had many lights shinning around it. Seeing and hearing nothing threatening the night creatures again went about their business.

Inside the white metal bird things were very different; restlessness throbbed through the still air within as four paws paced nervously around the bridge.

//He's never done that before!// she said anxiously her amber eyes wary.

"You've dreamed of him before, Wenonah?" Tatiana asked quietly, hoping to calm the pacing N'de. The other uprights had returned to their beds and their disturbed sleep. Only the two silver-haired ones and Hakan sat with the young female as she paced the deck.

//He has always been there. But lately the dreams of him have become more frequent, more clear// her heart racing within her as she thought about this latest dream. She stopped in front of the seated Tatti and put her muzzle on the woman's knees. //He attacked me// she admitted softly. For a moment no one said anything.

"You are sure of that, Wenonah? I'm sure he didn't mean…………"

//No, Olan. **He** really attacked me// pacing again. Tatiana quietly called to the female, getting her to sit in front of her again and took the white muzzle gently in her hands. She gazed into the frightened amber eyes.

//Let me see// was all she said mentally.

The web spun around and around, it was not being made/woven or unwoven, it just spun like a dream-catcher caught in the wind. Stars in the form of the Lupus constellation shone among the web's silver strands; then the tribal mark that panned out to reveal the Great White Lupine that she – Tatti – had first met 18yrs ago. His amber/brown eyes turned to her, filled with many emotions. At first they were just one maelstrom whirling around and around, until slowly they steadied to reveal pain, loss, sorrow and a dying love or life, she couldn't be sure about the last. Suddenly he lunged forward going for her throat, at which point she woke up, but not before she'd registered the regret in his eyes and heard his mournful cry.

Tatti blinked rapidly letting go of Wenonah's muzzle. Olan put his arms around her shaking shoulders his light hazel eyes concerned.

"I sensed some of it. Mainly fear, loss, sorrows. Tatti what is happening to him?" his voice worried and deeply concerned.

"I don't know, Olan," breathing deeply to calm herself, her own hazel eyes worried. Hakan nudged her. "Sorry, Fiery. I know you sense him too. Perhaps between us, we can work it out," she sighed, playing with his silver-grey ears.

//After we have broken-fast// his voice calm in the otherwise whirling ocean of emotions. The two silver-haired uprights smiled knowingly at each other. They said goodnight to the two N'de and left to return to their beds; leaving the area bathed in the soft luminous glow of the night lighting.

Wenonah stood gazing out the large viewport, her silver-white hair gleaming in the starlight. Hakan stood behind her and gently plaited her thick hair into a single braid down her back. When he'd done she leaned back against him, feeling drained.

"All will be well, First-born daughter. You'll see," he said his tone echoing the wisdom of his forbearers. She just sighed deeply, feeling the calm of the still night fill her being, making sleep a possibility once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer see chapter one.

**Chapter 2**

2377: - autumn.

Chakotay sat alone contemplating the starry vista through his office viewports, trying to find some inner calm after Admiral Janeway's revelations. Having 'two' Janeways on board was playing havoc with his emotions; just when he thought he'd put things into some sort of perspective, this **'woman' **pops into their/his life bringing a few unexpected 'spanners' along with her, to throw into the works. He admitted that he'd responded to her friendliness at first, now he wasn't sure what to make of her, especially since the Admiral had spoken to Seven. It had certainly changed things between himself and the former ex-Borg drone, throwing up some unforeseen possibilities that unsettled him, leaving him feeling rather vulnerable. What really upset him though was his standing with Starfleet and the Federation, if he were honest about it that was what bothered him the most. The messages they'd been receiving over the last few months of their regular contact with Starfleet had been rather silent on the issue, not that they'd asked about it, only their reply to Admiral Hayes had been all that had been said on the subject. It was the not knowing how Starfleet and the Federation felt about the Maquis that worried him, not just for himself, but for the others as well.

Sighing deeply he turned from the starry view and looked at the reports awaiting his attention on his desk. Carefully he sat down and tried to get back to work, so that Captain Janeway would have the reports in the morning. After a half hour of futile attempts to get the work finished, he stopped realising his mind and heart wasn't concentrating on his duty.

"Computer; locate **Admiral** Janeway," he asked decisively, leaning back in his chair, hoping the computer could differentiate between the two women.

#Admiral Janeway is currently located in Voyager's Mess Hall# He was dutifully informed. This response gave him pause for thought, frowning.

"Would there be another Mess Hall?" he asked casually, getting to his feet.

#Please re-phrase the question# was the automatic response.

"Never mind," shaking his head bemused and left for the Mess Hall on deck #2.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

He found her as he'd often come to find her younger self, reposed in the lounge chairs, PADD's scattered on the low table with a large pot of coffee to hand; the only difference was the woman's attire and disposition. Hard, cold, bitter and if possible uncaring; not that it really showed on the woman's face. One very hard mask was firmly in place, more so than before.

"Am I intruding?" he asked alerting her to his silent presence.

"Take a seat, Commander," she invited, leaning back into the chair to study him as he took a seat opposite her. Her scrutiny made him feel uncomfortable. "I can't give you any details, Commander. Temporal Prime Directive," she said her tone over casual.

"I'm not asking for any, **Admiral**," he told her feeling strangely defensive with this woman, something he'd not felt with 'Captain' Janeway for a long time. "Why now?" He was pleased to see he'd surprised her, leaving her face unguarded for the first time since she'd arrived through the time rift with a Klingon Bird of Prey hot on her tail. Yet the open nakedness was short lived, which sadden him, as her features re-schooled themselves and settled into a mask again.

"Why not!?" her remark off-hand, hoping to fool this man, but she could see it hadn't worked because his dark eyes narrowed.

"You need to do more than that, **Admiral**,"his tone hard, very hard. "What?" puzzled by her reaction to his tone of voice.

"Please, don't ask," making to pour herself some more coffee, but he removed the pot out of her reach.

"Why, **Admiral**?" he knew he was pushing, but something in her response to his voice worried him. "Quoting the Temporal Prime Directivewon't work. You've already broken that just by being here, **Admiral**."

"You used to call me, Kathryn," she purred softly, hoping to side track him.

"Sorry, **Admiral**," Chakotay said shaking his head and putting the coffee pot well out of her seated reach.

The stress he'd constantly been putting on her title wasn't lost on the older Janeway.

"You always did know me better than I knew myself," she sighed, her mask slipping a little, yet not enough to show him the woman he'd once given his loyalty to. "Chakotay; I realise Seven must have told you something of how your relationship would go. Especially if anything untoward happened to her," pausing to gauge his reaction to her information. His face hadn't changed which really did surprise her, as if he was waiting for something else from her; but as to what she had no idea.

"That isn't what I'm asking," he said softly his tone chilling her. "Why **now**? Why not before Carey was killed? Or some other point in time. Why here? Why now?" pushing her deeper into the emotional corner, one she could only answer one way by going 'through' him; fighting him rather than trying to work around him. "If as you've said; these Transwarp hubs exist all over the Delta quadrant. Why this one? Here and now!" pressing her right into the corner.

"Chakotay………!"

"NO! **Admiral**," he hadn't shouted, but her reaction of flinching away from him, it was as if he had. "Why?" his tone telling her it was the one universal question that required even demanded an answer, a truthful answer, even if it hurt him and her.

For a moment she contemplated whether she could somehow dodge round the truth and still give him a satisfying answer. His steady gaze told her otherwise.

"Someone or thing died. Not physically and I'm not even really sure as to what or who died exactly. I'm sorry, Chakotay," she said softly. He frowned puzzled. "I thought the changes after a death came later, but it didn't. I want – wanted for **you** to be happy," she couldn't finish, her blue eyes pleading with him. Something said she wasn't telling him all of it; the question was did she even know herself?

"Even if it meant you'd be alone, Admiral?" the fact that he still didn't call her Kathryn said much more to her than any amount of words could have done. She'd still lost this man, her friend.

"Yes," the coldness creeping back into her voice, the mask slipped easily back into place. "This hub gives Voyager the best chance of making it back to the Alpha quadrant and home, in one piece and about 16yrs earlier," she told him, her mask now firmly back in place shutting him out and hiding her true feelings from Chakotay and possibly herself as well, he realised. Quietly he stood, picked up the coffee pot and put it back within her easy reach and left without another word. She watched him a moment, face devoid of any emotion; picked up the coffee pot and poured herself a generous mug full and began to read the PADD's again, as if he'd never entered the Mess Hall and interrupted her.

He returned to his quarters feeling confused and disturbed. Finding his Medicine bundle he sat on the floor and hoped to contact his spirit guide tonight; knowing he really needed some sound guidance for his troubled soul. He felt somewhat adrift, a ship without an anchor, opening the bundle and picking up the stone holding it in both hands close to his chest. Carefully he activated the Akoonah and softly spoke the words that would put him in touch with his spirit guide to find an anchor to secure him in place again.

2394:- New Leaf 

On Abnaki, dawn broke the night time silence with birds singing their hearty welcome to the new day whilst the sun steadily climbed into the lightening sky. The roar of impulse engines shattered the natural sounds drowning them out all together with the mechanical din, from the white metal bird that sat on the river plain. Slowly the noise wound down and the chorus could be heard once more. Olan emerged from the obelisk control room, with Wenonah having checked and re-checked his handy work with the computers, in order to protect Abnaki from outsiders and the ion storms that frequently visited the seven-planet system. Although the ion storms tended to stay around the outer gas giants, one such storm had arrived late causing major disruption to the obelisk's original programming, making it go into overdrive in protecting the N'de. With help from the Federation Starship, Voyager [_see White Dream_ 18yrs ago things had been put right and the humanoids settled on the right planet – Kaldora. Now that the two Silver Keepers were to leave the system possibly forever, he – Olan was making provisions to keep Abnaki safe from Kaldora and the ion storms, from wherever they might travel to.

He stood gazing out across the valley plain taking in the sights and sounds of the new leaf day; Wenonah had raced off to the river to bathe, splashing in the water, until the white metal bird's engines roared again, startling the young female.

//Have to do something about that noise// he said mentally. He smiled at Tatti's witty reply. //Our metal bird needs a name// he commented softly gazing at the sleek smooth broad swept back winged shape.

//Hakan said it reminded him of a swan in flight, when he first saw her// came Tatti's voice clearly, the engines silent once more.

//White Swan?// he queried, puzzled at what he was picking up from Fiery.

//Come on board; we'll discuss it with some coffee//

//Transport?// he asked, making for the ship at a jog.

//Sorry. Off-line// His response caused her to laugh, making Jabez turn to her startled. She grinned at him. "Let's join the others for some coffee," she suggested verbally to her mentor and friend.

It didn't take long for all of them to be comfortably seated in the Mess area – it couldn't really be called a hall, as it wasn't that big – just adequate for their needs, plus a few guests maybe.

"Our starship needs a name. Any suggestions?" asked Olan picking up his coffee and taking a seat next to Owissa his half-twin.

//White Swan – Magaski// Hakan said quietly.

"Why that name, Fiery?" asked Kitto, standing near the viewports.

//Magaski was a wise woman and she helped Kindred Spirit and I to come to terms with some important issues//

"Magaski means White Swan," Tatti added quietly.

"The shape of our ship does indeed look like a swan in flight," noted Stella, her voice dropping into the soft companionable silence.

"Well are we all agreed? White Swan?" Jabez asked. Everyone nodded. "Good, that settles that. Hakan perhaps you can tell Tatti or Olan how to write it in your language as Magaski," looking at the silver-grey Lupine.

//Certainly, Jabez// Hakan said, his tone happy.

"I think we've done all the checks that can reasonably be done to the computers and engines, here on the ground. Our transwarp drive is untested and untried. Although we know – via all the computer models – that it should work in theory; in practise?" leaving the question unanswered. "We are going to have to give it a go once we're in deep space and hope that we've got our sums right," he said, more or less just speaking his thoughts out loud. "How's the com-system?"

"It is working reasonably well. There are some minor problems to private quarters; but to all the major areas it's working ok," Kitto informed them. Although he had trained as a pilot – at which he excelled – he'd also taken a course in electronic engineering/operations systems maintenance, so he could be more useful to the two qualified engineers.

"Good. Medical?"

"Everything is up and running within its programmed parameters," she smiled. "Medical supplies are also stowed on board along with the food and drink stores. Thanks to my father," she said her tone softening on the last. Olan squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"All sensors are operating at maximum efficiency," said Stella, before he could ask her arm around her husband's waist. "The shuttle is stowed in the shuttle-bay. It too will need a name," she added.

"How about, Cygnus?" he suggested. "Well as the ship is the swan, the smaller craft should be the cygnet."

"Can't argue with that!" noted Kitto with a grin. The others agreed.

"The obelisk?" he asked, looking at Olan.

"Ready to go; we shall be able to link into the data-node from wherever we are. The further away we are, the longer the signal will take, though," he admitted. "Other than that it is ready."

"Good. Once the naming of both craft is done, we'll be ready to roll," he said, with some satisfaction.

//Where to?// asked a soft female voice.

"Kindred Spirit," Tatiana answered. Nothing more was said; each set about their business of getting 'White Swan' ready for her first deep space transwarp flight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

White Swan hung in space in orbit of the blue/green jewel of Abnaki – Morning Land, but slowly the glowing orb vanished first from the electronic sensors and then to the naked eye.

"Abnaki's secure," Olan announced from his place at the computer console. Two lupines had watched sadly as their home had disappeared from their sight, through the spaceships large viewports; they then turned to watch their new friends ready the new starship for her first transwarp jump. Kitto carefully manoeuvred the streamlined ship out of the now six-planet system to deep space, whilst the others secured all systems for the jump. They feared it might be a rough ride as the system was untested. Silence descended as they reached the outer edge of the solar system. Jabez took a deep breath and quietly ordered:

"Bring transwarp on-line. Set vector 007.53. Engage," he said.

At first nothing seemed to happen; slowly the engines warmed and then hummed louder as the transwarp kicked in hurtling them across parces of space in seconds. Chaos reigned on the bridge as the ship shuddered from stem to stern and then stopped when they whooshed back into normal space.

"Where are we?" someone asked in the dim emergency lighting. Bodies scrambled back to their places from off the floor and checked consoles, sensor readings and injuries.

"Possibly more a case of when are we!"

"So where and when?" asked Kitto, standing by his pilots chair, having picked himself up from the floor, as Owissa checked him over with her med-tricorder. She smiled her assurance that he was uninjured.

"We're still in the Delta quadrant and near a Borg transwarp hub. Year 2377!" said Olan having read the info twice just to be certain his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Voyager is just off our starboard bow," he added quietly. Stunned silence greeted this news.

//I can feel him. He is confused, angry. A ship adrift without an anchor// puzzled by this last thought. Tatti joined Wenonah.

"I think I understand your last statement," she smiled quietly. "Can you reach him?"

//I might. He is on a vision quest. But he feels lost// her amber eyes worried. Tatiana suggested that she and Hakan talk to Kindred Spirit via his vision quest.

"Find a quiet place and just try and help him. We'll talk to him in person later," she encouraged the Lupines; who both trotted off the bridge. "I'd better check the transwarp drive," her face worried. Jabez said he'd help leaving the deck with her.

"What we need is someone's help with the drive," Kitto noted, checking over his own console. "Do you think we could ask the Borg!?"

"Kitto!" Stella admonished startled. He shrugged apologetically.

"Maybe we could ask, **a** Borg. Seven of nine!" queried Owissa softly.

"I've been checking the sensors. Voyager isn't going anywhere and it looks like some extensive modifications are taking place on her outer hull. Plus there are **two** Janeway's on board." Stella joined the young silver-haired male at his console and checked the scanners herself, feeling the startled response from the others around her.

"There is an extra shuttle in the shuttle bay. Time reference is 2404. 26yrs into the future," she added softly. "That transwarp hub we're currently near is about to fully come on-line. Initial destination co-ordinates are," pausing to re-check the computer's references. "Sector 001."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The web spun around and around, it was not being made/woven or unwoven, it just spun like a dream-catcher caught in the wind. Stars in the form of the Lupus constellation shone among the web's silver strands; then the tribal mark separated itself from the web to curve over the left eye of the Great White Lupine. Across from him stood another lupine silver-white furred coat, young and female. She seemed uncertain, her amber eyes wary.

//There is nothing to fear here// he said softly, the web strands still separating them from each other. Slowly she transformed; rising up into an upright young humanoid female with silver-white hair tied into a single thick plaited braid draped forward over one shoulder; her figure covered in a soft downy silver-white fur and a simple tunic dress made of woven cloth in a pale green shade; she stood tall and proud before him. Another figure joined her a male, older and wiser his body clad only in a loin cloth made of the same woven cloth; his muscular body covered in the same downy fur as her, but of a silver-grey colour, like his thick hair that framed his face.

//Hello, Kindred Spirit// the male said softly.

//Fiery?!// he exclaimed startled a moment. The Great White Lupine before the pair changed into his true human form, clad in brown homespun pants and tunic top with the Dakota bead pattern around the latter's hemline. He smiled at them both, picked up the small dream-catcher that had been spinning between them and quietly stepped forward and embraced them both. //Hakan! I cannot believe that you are here!// he said still amazed yet pleased to see them. The N'de male smiled, warmed by Kindred Spirit's welcome.

//You didn't think you'd get away so easily, did you?// he teased. Kindred Spirit smiled at that. //This is Wenonah// introducing the white haired female.

//Hello// she responded shyly, blushing under his brown/amber eyed scrutiny.

//Forgive me// remembering his manner and then frowned. //You look at least eighteen. But Voyager only left Abnaki two years ago// his voice puzzled.

//All will be explained soon, Kindred Spirit// she said confidently, placing the palm her hand flat against his chest. //Return; we will see you soon// with that the two faded…

He found himself sitting cross-legged on the floor of his quarters with the small silver stranded dream-catcher still in his hands. Chakotay stared at it, knowing it had come via his vision quest rather than something he owned. Quietly he packed it into his medicine bundle that he returned to its safe hiding place.

"Seven of nine to Cmdr Chakotay. I require your assistance in holodeck 2."

"Acknowledged Seven. I'm on my way," he said, closing the com-link as he strode from his quarters and set off for deck #6.

He entered the inactive holodeck to find Seven waiting.

"You required my assistance!" he said by way of greeting. She looked askance at him.

"She doesn't. We do," said another female voice as she appeared as if from thin air next to him. A male appeared similarly next to Seven and took her arm.

"Programme is set," he told his female companion, who gripped Chakotay's arm, neither alien's faces revealed anything. Before either Voyager's could respond to their abductors they found themselves clearly on another ship's transporter pad, smaller then Voyager's but of similar design.

"Hello, Commander," said the female behind the console, her ginger coloured hair marking her as very different to the two abductors.

"Voyager will note our absence and come looking for us," said Seven as her male companion had appeared to have lost his voice, as he tried to take everything in; surprise, puzzlement and questions all vied for attention across his solid face.

"No they won't," the young silver-haired male said, grinning.

"We'll join the others on the bridge. All questions can be answered there."

"Tatiana?" he questioned, clearly at a loss. The silver-haired female smiled, the warmth of it lighting up her honey coloured features as she gazed at him. Slowly a smile spread across his own features. "Lead the way," he invited quietly, some of his misgivings buried for the moment realising these youngsters had as many questions as he had.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Once the introductions – or rather re-introductions – were out of the way and they'd all settled down on the bridge, silence surrounded them all wanting to ask their questions that their presence together engendered, yet not wanting to be the first to break the soft companionable silence. Chakotay noticed the square plaque at the rear of the bridge area, got up from his seat and walked over. On it was a silver swan in flight with text symbols below; carefully he read them:

"Magaski," he read out softly. "White Swan," turning to smile at the ship's youngish crew.

"You read that script?" asked Seven astonished.

"Yes, Seven. It is an ancient form of Mayan text script," he said, deciding not to enlighten her further on the matter. "You mentioned that Voyager wouldn't miss us. How? And why didn't you trip the intruder alerts?" he asked re-taking his seat on the lounger set to one side of the bridge area.

"Olan, that is your field of expertise," noted Jabez kindly.

"The programme currently running on holodeck #2 is of two people enjoying an evening meal together at Sandrines. The computer will register the holograms as solid; one a part Borg blonde human female; the other a more solid individual of Amerindian descent and male. Both will interact with whoever contacts them or enters the holodeck," he informed them with a smile of pride. "As to the intruder alerts, I masked our life-signs," grinning. "Even Voyager's external sensors don't know we're here."

"What about if someone looks out a viewport," he teased casually. Olan shrugged.

"They might see us; but against this bright nebula it could be difficult." Chakotay smiled.

"Why here? Why now?" Seven asked, startling her male companion, as she'd voiced the very same questions he'd asked of Admiral Janeway only hours earlier.

"It might have something to do with that Transwarp hub out there," noted Jabez. "We've a newly tested transwarp drive on this ship. It could be that it tuned itself into this hub and brought us here."

"Why this hub?" he asked carefully. Tatti gave him a quick worried glance sensing his growing unease.

"This hub is due to become fully active, according to all our sensor data. Initial destination co-ordinates, sector 001," said Stella.

"Earth!" astonished. "So that is why **she**'s here," he whispered quietly, realising the implications of that news.

"Seven, we'd ask the Borg for some advice about our transwarp drive, but I think they're rather busy right now," Jabez explained his tone offbeat; making Chakotay hid a grin as the irony was lost on Seven. "Perhaps you'd like to look it over. Give us the benefit of your expertise?!" he asked politely. Chakotay nodded his unspoken encouragement to her. She stood and suggested that Jabez lead the way.

Kitto joined them, saying that the com-system could do with her expert eye also, as the three left the bridge.

Suddenly a silver-grey body hurtled into the area and flung itself at Chakotay knocking him off the lounger and onto the floor.

"Hey?!" he said startled, feeling the full weight of the four pawed musky scented body and rough tongue frantically licking his face. "FIERY!" he growled, trying unsuccessfully to avoid the rasping tongue. "Will you get off!" he commanded, finally managing to grab the thick neck ruff and push himself and the panting N'de into a sitting position. "You rascal," he said, his tone of voice affectionate smiling at the grinning Lupine. Chakotay pulled the creature close, hugging him.

//Good to see you too, Shikasha// that caused the human male's arms to tighten, before letting go and then he saw the silver-white female.

"Wenonah," he said softly. Quietly she padded over to him, feeling shy as the others silently watched. Chakotay let go of Hakan and carefully stroked the young female around her head, ears and muzzle. "You're very beautiful," he smiled. She stepped forward and gave his cheek a swift lick.

"I think she likes you, Chakotay," Tatti said a smile in her voice as well as on her face.

He sat back up on the lounger with Wenonah close to his legs and resting her head on his knees as he played with her soft white ears, making her rumble with pleasure.

"Chakotay, would you like to tell us about Admiral Janeway?" Stella invited gently and sitting down opposite him. "And especially how you feel right now," she added. Tatiana sat next to the human male, pressing her body close to his, whilst he continued to play with Wenonah's white ears, his dark eyes troubled.

"I'll find us something to eat. Olan?" called Owissa, getting to her feet and making for the rear exit point.

"Er? What? Oh right! Coming," he said hurrying after her. Hakan sat beside Stella watching and listening, as Chakotay softly explained events since Admiral Janeway's sudden arrival.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer see chapter one.

**Chapter 3**

Voyager's bridge was semi-dark and quiet with Tom Paris sitting in the Commander's usual chair in the command centre, when 'Captain' Janeway entered from her ready room. She gave Tom a quick glance as she checked the area.

"Where's Cmdr Chakotay?" her tone demanding an immediate answer, glaring at Paris.

"Sorry, Captain. I haven't a clue. He is **off**-duty, Captain," he responded mildly, hoping to calm the irate woman. He heard her swear softly under her breathe and then ordered the computer to locate the male she sought.

#Commander Chakotay is currently located on holodeck 2#, it informed her. Before anyone could move she strode from the area to the turbo-lift, with Tom Paris looking worried.

"Paris to Chakotay. Commander there is a redhead on the warpath heading for your current location," he said into the com-system, re-taking his seat again.

"Thanks, Tom. Chakotay out." Paris hoped the Amerindian could cope with the woman; breathing deep to calm himself. If not all hell would be let loose and that did not bear thinking about, especially with two Janeway's running around Voyager's corridors.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Olan registered the notation on his PADD.

"What is it?" Owissa asked alarmed, having heard his sharp in-drawn breath, her green

/hazel eyes worried as he fled from the mess area. They'd not been gone from the bridge for more than 40 minutes.

"No time to explain," he said over his shoulder, running for the bridge, with the ginger-haired female following hot on his heels. "Sorry to interrupt," he said anxiously, making for his computer console. "We have a problem. **Both** Janeway's will be on the holodeck 2 soon," he informed them, not looking up from his console as he worked, registering the surprise around him. "The programme is interactive, but just not **that** interactive," he sighed, finally looking up at Chakotay. "I wasn't expecting **two** Janeway's," handing the tattooed male a PADD explaining that it allowed him access to the holographic facsimile of himself and thus control the whole programme. "Sorry Chakotay," sitting down defeated.

"Not your fault," he assured the young man.

"Paris has already informed 'you' that a red-head is on the warpath, and then the Admiral enquired as to your whereabouts also," looking helpless. "I hope you can manage them both?" Chakotay gave him a quiet sad resigned smile. Stella had squeezed his hand as she and Owissa had quietly left them, saying they'd join the others in engineering. Hakan sat with Olan, who put a visual up on the main view screen of the inside of holodeck #2 on Voyager.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Two people sat at a medium sized table next to the glowing fire-hearth, the bar curving away in front of them toward the main double doors. The male sat with his back to the wall so that the fire to his right highlighted his profile. His female companion sat on his left her blonde hair shining in the glow from the merry fire. A part finished meal graced the table they both sat at. The only other occupant in the place wasn't Sandrine, but a new youngish male bartender, who stood behind the wooden bar cleaning glasses, whilst soft music played quietly in the background creating a pleasant and gentle mood for the pair.

Suddenly the mood was shattered; the double doors were flung open and two very different and yet similar women strode in, virtually side-by-side. The male calmly looked up, whilst his female companion jumped startled. He gently covered her hand with his and squeezed to reassure her, thus she sat still and waited. Chakotay looked at the two vastly different and yet similar women and saw that Paris hadn't been exaggerating about a 'red-head on the warpath'; the Captain's blue eyes were pools of fire and ice, if that were at all possible. The older female, though from the same mould as the redhead softly smiled at the seated couple.

"Nice," she commented pleasantly. That did it for the Captain, who just fair exploded at her older self, reminding all in the room that they were about to undertake a dangerous mission against the Borg and these two were playing romantic 'hooky'. "He is off-duty!" the Admiral pointed out calmly, yet it didn't stop the angry tirade.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted, his voice cutting across the heated argument. Silence; the two women glared at each other, whilst Chakotay watched them, his own anger held under tight control. "I thought you said **Admiral**." Her head whipped round to look at him her face pained. "That you wanted me to be happy," he remarked, his face giving nothing away.

"Of course I do, Chakotay," she responded mildly.

"Happy with anyone but your protégé; is that it?" his face clouded at the two very similar expressions that looked back at him. "I thought as much," he noted softly, dark eyes pained.

"Chakotay, I think it would be wise if I leave," she said, her voice quiet, not liking what she was seeing or hearing from these two women, one she considered as her mentor.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Seven," giving her a soft glance and an easy smile.

"I know," returning his warm smile. "It will be a busy day tomorrow. Therefore I will go to my alcove and regenerate," she informed him, pushing back her chair and stood. "I'll see you in the morning, Commander."

"Alright, Seven. Pleasant dreams," he wished her, a little reluctantly and then she left. "Computer, clear the table and the bar-tender." With a beep the male behind the bar vanished and his table cleared of the meal that had been so rudely interrupted. He sat back and stared at both Captain Janeway, who half sat on the table behind her and Admiral Janeway who leaned on the bar. "You were right, **Admiral** when you spoke about something dying."

"Chakotay if you're worried about Seven. I assure you…"

"This isn't about Seven of nine. **Admiral**," still stressing her title, the implications of that wasn't lost on either woman. Captain Janeway frowned at him, puzzled by his attitude. "This is about something just as precious and just as valuable as one human life," he said, the tone cold. "Now I have a question to ask of you both," pausing to judge their reaction. "What do you remember about Shikasha?" his voice quiet.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

On Magaski's bridge the male watched the varied reactions of the two women, his face registering his inner pain especially at their lack of recognition of the word, although the younger was obviously trying to recall what it meant to her and to him. The Admiral on the other hand looked non-pulsed and even disinterested, which only meant one thing in his mind and heart, feeling the tears well in his dark sad eyes. Olan had told him that Voyager's computer would register Seven of nine regenerating in her alcove after having seemingly left the holodeck, although physically the hologram could not do so. He wasn't sure if he'd heard the young male right as he'd been concentrating on the two Janeway's, feeling two warm bodies press close to him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Well?" he asked pointedly, the seated figure revealing nothing of what he was really feeling at that moment.

"Well nothing," noted the Admiral, shrugging her shoulders casually.

"Please leave, Admiral," he said so quietly, neither female was sure they'd heard him. "Leave now. **Admiral**," he said still stressing her title. Pained and confused she hesitated a moment. "Go! Now!" he almost shouted at the older woman. "**You **lost it along time ago. So please leave, Admiral," his tone of voice as hard as his dark eyes, standing up to face her. Puzzled by his reaction she quietly left or started to. The remaining occupants heard the main doors swish apart and then start to close.

"Right outside the holodeck, **Admiral**," his words more an order than a request. The doors again opened and then closed cutting off the sound of her booted feet walking away. "And you, Kathryn?"

She didn't need to ask to what he was referring as she sat down on the chair at the table she'd been leaning against.

"I know it is something special to you, Chakotay," she admitted quietly, hesitating unsure how to continue.

"Do you know what it means?" he asked. Ashamed she looked away from him, afraid to meet his eyes. "Did you not think to ask the computer or me?" he asked her, anger sounding in his voice. His words had her look up at him; there was no emotion on his face or even in his dark eyes for that matter, which made her shudder feeling rather intimidated by this strong dark man. "I suggest you take the time for a little history lesson, about two noteworthy men in particular, Thomas Jeffords and Cochise," he advised her coldly. He stood with his back to her and ordered the computer to delete all items except the chair Janeway was sitting on. The holodeck reverted to its inactive state. "Computer site to site transport from this location to my quarters. Energise," he ordered, leaving the stunned female alone on the holodeck.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

On Magaski, Chakotay felt stabbed deeply at heart that something this important to him and that he'd bestowed on her, a person he considered a friend, and a true friend hadn't thought to inquire as to the meaning of the word Shikasha. He hoped that she would do some research this time. Olan explained that the programme would continue to run until either he told it to stop or Janeway left the holodeck, whichever came first. Until then Voyager's computer would register him in his quarters and Seven regenerating in her alcove. He nodded his understanding not trusting himself to speak. Tatiana and Wenonah sat close comforting him without words, just by being near him.

"Engineering to bridge."

"Bridge here, Kitto, go ahead," said Olan.

"Seven here. Your transwarp drive will now function within its proper parameters. It will return you to the time you came from at whatever co-ordinates you set. Any other Borg transwarp hubs from any time period should not influence it. I have also downloaded all relevant information about transwarp drives to your database, as a back up to your current knowledge. Your com-system is also now working at peak efficiency."

"Peak!? I'd say! She ran over the whole thing with a fine tooth comb!" quipped the voice of Jabez good naturedly; making those on the bridge smile warmly.

"That is good to hear. Thanks Seven," said Tatti appreciatively. "Olan will transport you back to Voyager directly to your alcove. It is set for 8hrs regeneration, though you may experience less time than that," Tatti said, nodding to the silver-haired male, as he left for the transporter.

"Understood. Commander?" she questioned.

"He'll see you in the morning, Seven. He wishes you pleasant dreams," she said, her arms hugging the distraught human male.

"Acknowledged; I wish you a safe return journey. Seven out." Not long afterward Olan informed them that the ex-Borg drone was now safely regenerating in her alcove on Voyager.

"Thanks, Olan. Stand by," Tatiana acknowledged quietly, easing herself away from the human male beside her. "Chakotay; Do you still keep your medicine bundle in that special place?" He nodded, his face filled with deep sorrow. "Return; we'll see you soon in our time," she smiled softly, tracing the tattoo over his left eye. He leaned toward her and kissed her forehead gently; gave Wenonah a hug and Hakan too, without saying a word, he'd said his goodbyes to them all.

"Olan; Cmdr Chakotay is ready to return home. Lock on and energise," she said, looking up at his sad upright figure as he stood quietly waiting on their bridge; soon he was enveloped by a haze of blue light and then vanished.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

2377-autumn:

Chakotay stood in his darken quarters gazing out at the bright nebula in which the Borg transwarp hub was hidden. Against it he saw the white swan shaped silhouette of the starship 'Magaski'. His tear-filled eyes watched the ship move and then with a greenish flash it was gone. He stood there feeling lost sad and yet pleased to have seen them all again, especially the two from Abnaki in their true humanoid form. His quiet contemplation of the starry vista was interrupted by his door-chime.

"It isn't locked," he informed the visitor, not looking round. He knew who'd entered even before she spoke:

"Chakotay," her voice more husky than usual. "I'm sorry. I didn't……….." her voice trailed as his tears spilled over and he sat down on the viewport couch sobbing. She stood there unsure, wanting more than anything to comfort him; but she'd kept him at arms length for so long now that she wasn't sure how to touch him anymore.

Janeway recalled what had happened on the empty holodeck, after he'd left:

"Thomas Jeffords?" she pondered quietly.

#Do you require information on Thomas Jeffords?# the computer asked, startling her from her reverie. #Or is a representation of the man in question acceptable?#

"What? Yes. The representation, please computer," she responded. The male individual that appeared before her, looked somewhat like the actor James Stewart, dressed in the era of the 1870's Wild West frontier. "Computer; this is an actor, not the historical figure of Tom Jeffords," she said, puzzled.

#This is the only representation of the historical figure of Thomas Jeffords#

"Fair enough. Run programme," she ordered with a sigh.

"How may I help you, dear lady?" the male drawled giving her a slight bow.

"Tell me something about your time with Cochise," she asked.

"Ah, Cochise," he smiled. "A shrewd man and a wronged one by those the Chokonen called 'white-eyes'. But he accepted me, Tyazalaton, Cheek-Hair-of-Sand. That's the name Cochise eldest son gave me. A person's name is their honour, to use it in vain is a grave dishonour," he told her softly.

"Tom is Shikasha a Chokonen word?"

"My dear lady if a member of the tribe has called you that it is an honour indeed," he smiled broadly at her. "Yes. It simply means 'Brother'. As to why **he **has called you that, you had better enquire of him."

"I never said…"

"You didn't have to," he said, smiling gently. "Some words of advice my dear lady. Chokone Warriors and the N'de in general are straight forward, straight talking, honest, trustworthy, loyal and truthful. They give 100 and they expect nothing less in return," he said his voice serious. "They do not take kindly to a double or cleft tongue. You understand?" he asked. She nodded. "Good. Now I'd better be about my business. Nice to have met you, dear lady," he smiled and gave her a slight bow.

"Computer end programme," she said softly and the male vanished. "Oh, Chakotay," she whispered and quickly left the holodeck.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Bringing herself back to the present, she realised she'd sat down beside him and put her arms out as if to hold him, but stopped; then suddenly he hugged her. Startled a moment by his closeness, she didn't respond; feeling him stiffen slightly, therefore she slowly lowered her arms and wrapped them around him, holding his warm strength close to her own petite frame. Although she could feel his hot tears soaking her uniform at her shoulder she didn't let go, wondering if his tears were for more than just a misunderstanding over a word; an important word to him, yet a word none-the-less. Soon the sobs died to a muted deep breathing. Slowly they eased away from each other; carefully she held his face in both her hands and used her thumbs to wipe away the last of his tears from under his deep brown eyes.

"Like to talk about it?" she asked quietly, not really knowing how else to approach the subject. He heaved a deep sad sigh, feeling warmed by the hands cupping his face.

Coyly she traced his tattoo, intrigued by the pattern; when she looked at him, his smile was warm, inviting and relaxed; something neither had been with each other for a very long time.

"Kathryn," he said in that soft way of his that sent a thrill through her whole body. He gently took her hands from his face and held them in his lap with both of his, looking at them rather than her. "You remember the tale of the 'Angry Warrior' and what I'd said then on New Earth?" looking up sharply and putting a finger against her lips to stall her words. "In that legend I pledged my loyalty to you; and I still do. Not just to the uniform we both wear, but to **you**." She said nothing, even after he'd removed his finger; realising for the first time just what he was saying; that his service aboard Voyager as her First Officer was not just his Starfleet training but his loyalty to her and from what Tom Jeffords had said his Chokonen/N'de roots.

"What I said after we left Abnaki and Kaldora still stands. I know what I am, who I am and where I'm going here on Voyager to **you**. As to Starfleet?" he frowned turning to look out at the bright nebula. She watched his face, the strong profile. "What will be waiting for us Maquis? For me; with Starfleet, Kathryn?" he asked softly, looking back at her his face pained.

"I do not know, Chakotay," she replied honestly. 'What else could she say?' she wondered, and then it came to her. "I will try to do for you, what you have freely given me," pausing to ease her hands from within his, so she could clasp and squeeze his reassuringly as she added: "Shikasha."

The smile she was rewarded with lit up his whole face, dark eyes bright with unshed tears of joy. Janeway smiled in response.

"You know what it means?" he asked quietly, daring to hope.

"I know it means brother," her tone of voice trying to lighten the mood. "I'm not sure I like the idea of being called a brother," her tone teasing.

He laughed a sound of genuine light-hearted joy. "Then I'd better only use the Chokonen word. Hadn't I?" he teased back, grinning broadly. Chakotay sobered. "You should feel honoured, Kathryn." Her face asked the question, for as Thomas Jeffords had said she would only get the true reason from the one who'd called her 'brother'. "It is rare for one not of the tribe to be called by the Chokonen word and only one person in history has, Thomas Jeffords. For a woman within the tribe is rarer still, but it has been known among my own people, thus she is considered an equal to her male counterpart," he paused to breath deeply his eyes never leaving her face. "For a woman outside the tribe to be called 'brother' is a double honour, meaning that she is equal to a family member of the tribe."

Janeway looked at him stunned; 'Was he saying what she thought he was saying?' she wondered surprised.

"I'm…I'm honoured, Chakotay," she couldn't say more, her throat choked with emotion as he touched her face.

"You are a strong woman, Kathryn, worthy of the Chokone. You are a woman I have come to respect and love in my own way," his dark eyes gazing at her, open and honest. "Yet I do not think we will ever really be apart nor be the soul mates that many think we are," he admitted, still caressing her face. Janeway closed her eyes feeling something die in her heart. 'What had he said to the Admiral about something dying?'

"Something more precious than one human life," she whispered, not realising she'd spoken out loud, until he responded.

"Yes, Kathryn. Friendship; a deep lifelong friendship," he smiled at her open-eyed surprise. "Although we only met seven years ago, I feel as if I've known you all my life. I don't want you, us to lose that friendship, Kathryn; like the Admiral so obviously has."

"Chakotay; I had hoped…" her eyes pleading with him.

"I do not think so," his smile soft. She pulled away from him or tried to, for he held one of her hands tight.

"So you'll still pursue Seven?" she said bitterness in her voice, turning her face away.

"No. Seven pursued me. I'll admit I was flattered and it went to my head a bit," a smile in his voice. "She is half my age and I don't think either Harry or the Doctor will allow me to continue. Seven has even said she wishes to, er…mm… redefine the parameters of our relationship," he added grinning as he caught her chin and turned her head round to look at him. "You and I are alike and yet opposites. I live for the here and now, whereas you look to the future. You are a Starfleet brat; pardon the expression. Me I'm a contrary. Yet we're both loyal to what makes us who we are," he smiled, noting the warmth in the blue eyes before him. "If we are meant to be, we'll be. But on our **own** terms." Janeway returned his warm smile feeling hope glow again in her heart. "Friendship is just as precious as love, Kathryn; perhaps more so; especially in our case," he paused. "I've missed our warm friendship over these last few months," he added softly.

His words warmed her more than she thought they would, more so than any declaration of undying love could have done, she realised; feeling the beginnings of peace settle her own emotions for this man. A loyal First Officer, a true friend and now…

"Shikasha," she whispered her hand on his chest.

"Shikasha," he repeated taking her hand and kissing the palm softly. Neither said anything more, to have done so would have sullied the moment; they parted quietly to sleep soundly that night ready for whatever awaited them the following morning; warmed by the knowledge of a shared and deep trusting friendship of loyal love with and to each other.

Only the Admiral slept cold that night, yet not physically.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

2394:- Winter.

Magaski whooshed back into normal space with everyone still in his or her places, this time round. Wenonah whined distressed; Tatiana and Olan didn't need to physically ask, as they both sensed the male – Kindred Spirit.

"Where are we, this time?" Kitto asked, turning in his pilots' seat to face the others on the ship's bridge.

"Where and when we're supposed to be," said Olan checking his console. "Sector 001; year is 2394 early winter. We're currently in Saturn's sensor shadow."

"Voyager?" asked Jabez, from where he sat in the ship's nose beside the young pilot.

"San Francisco. Starfleet HQ in the main grounds," he said, looking sadly at his mentor. "According to the newscasts she is a tourist attraction."

"So all the de-briefings etc are over," noted Stella. "The crew?"

"Scattered throughout this system; I can't really be sure," his voice sounding pained.

"Kindred Spirit?" Owissa asked quietly, joining him as he worked, knowing it was why they were here; silence surrounding them as they waited. For although the telepaths had sensed him it was only on the emotional level, thus they needed the sensors to locate him physically.

"Sorry," shaking his head sadly.

"Wenonah and I are going to have to find him through a spirit walk as well as physically," her tone determined.

"Olan; Can you mask our transwarp drive from Federation sensors and incorporate our set history file into their database?"

"No problem, Jabez. I'll have the programme up and running in no time," his face eager, yet still sorrowful.

"Kitto, you'd better take the shuttle 'Cygnus' to Jupiter station and register our presence with them. Tatti and Wenonah will go with you," he said. The young blue-eyed male nodded, got to his feet and looked to both silver-haired females. Hakan sat at another sensor console watching the com and space traffic within the Sol solar-system.

"Everything appears peaceful," he informed them quietly.

"We don't have much time before the Admiral changes everything. Let's go," Jabez commanded, which spurred them all into action. 

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Starfleet HQ:-

Kathryn Janeway - recently promoted to Admiral - stood at the windows of her new large apartment; puzzled by the brief message she'd received from Paris. The doorbell sounding brought her attention back to the present; going over to the main door.

"Tom?" she said stepping aside to allow him to enter, covering her surprise.

"Cap….Admiral," he acknowledged, blue eyes looking round as if searching for something as he strode into the main room. "You got my message?" he asked. She nodded, frowning worried by his obvious restlessness. 

"Have you seen Chakotay? Since the de-briefings?" he asked getting straight to the point.

"No; I have not. Should I have?" her tone abrupt, walking back to the apartments windows, that looked out over the bay and Golden Gate bridge.

"Neither has anyone else. Even his new quarters that Starfleet gave him, haven't been used," he said, sounding harassed.

"Tom; I'm not Chakotay's keeper or…"

"Don't you **care**, Kathryn?" he almost shouted at her, exasperated at the woman. She flinched, but didn't let it show on the surface. "B'Elanna and I are worried about him. Have been ever since we re-entered Federation space," he said starting to pace a hand running through his fair hair, which was a little thinner than it once was, Janeway realised. "He'd always been different after Seven's death, that's true; but it was the little things," he paused in his pacing, his once youthful face pained. "The only time I ever saw him smile, **really** smile was when he played with Miral. That soon went not long after we arrived at the border of Klingon and Federation space. Oh he made no changes to his schedule in teaching Miral," he looked at her, his eyes deeply troubled. "It was as if a light had finally gone out in him," his voice soft. Janeway stared at him, startled by this revelation.

"He looked fine last I saw of him," she said carefully, her tone neutral, noting the tears forming in Paris' eyes.

"Physically he functioned, yes," he noted and took a deep shuddering breath to calm himself. "B'Elanna said; it was as if a barely burning candle had finally been snuffed out." His words fell like lead weights into the room between the two Starfleet officers; standing with an invisible wall between them, on one side a man whose emotions were raw and sore for his missing friends and former commanding officers, on the other an unemotional and unfeeling female. 

With slow deliberate steps Janeway went to her com-link and called Starfleet security. She asked if there had been any sightings of Voyager's First Officer, Cmdr Chakotay.

"None, Admiral; At least that I know of, Ma'am."

"Start looking, Lieutenant. Round up a search team. I want him found yesterday," she ordered coldly.

"Yes, Ma'am, Admiral, right away," the man stammered and then cut the link.

"Tom round up as many of the crew as you can find," she started to order, but stopped puzzled by his knowing expression.

"They're not far away, Admiral. In fact they're waiting in the main foyer," he grinned.

"Then what are we waiting here for! Let's go," she said decisively, moving toward the door with him. They went to the apartment block's foyer together and she organised her former crew into small search teams, suggesting that they look in all the places they could think of that their former Commander might go to hole up. It wouldn't be easy as most of his former Maquis friends were scattered throughout the quadrant; if any were still alive. All they really had to go on was what they knew about the man himself, his cultural heritage and what it meant to him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

San Francisco: -

Golden Gate transit station saw the usual busy crowd of persons flowing through the area; Starfleet personnel in their varying uniforms from top Admirals to first year Academy Cadets, along with various alien dignitaries arrayed in their national dress; Klingon, Vulcan, Trill, Andorian, Bolian and many others, walked with quiet pace to their various destinations on the Federation's home planet. Two silver-haired females walked tall and straight through the busy transit area, though no-one took much notice of them except perhaps for a couple of Kezzle/cats, who hissed at the younger of the two females reacting to her musky scent. The older smiled encouragingly at her companion as they continued on their way to Starfleet HQ's main grounds. There they saw the ship sitting on a special concourse with the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay a pleasant backdrop.

"She is beautiful," breathed the younger female, from their elevated viewpoint.

"Yes she is. In spite of her rather battered looking appearance," the older one smiled.

"Probably because of it," the other grinned. They found a transporter and energised over to the ship's reception area.

"We are about to close for the day," the male attendant said, with an apologetic smile. 

"Oh please. We've come such a long way to see her and we'll not be this way again," the youngsters expression genuinely earnest. The attendant smiled quietly and issued two passes.

"You have about 45 minutes. So you'd better hurry along," he chided them both with a relaxed smile and a wink.

Once inside, Tatiana made for the nearest computer panel and asked for her current location and the quickest route to her destination. The computer silently obliged her with a visual map. Although she knew it wasn't unusual it worried her a bit.

"Wenonah; Come," she called to her companion, who'd been nosing in some of the side rooms. Thus they set off for the next turbo-lift and asked for the required deck.

"She feels tired, neglected and unloved," Wenonah, said her hand on the bulkheads of the lift. "She is dying, Tatti. Her heart is gone;" her eyes sad. The lift stopped and they exited; Tatti's face was grim with determination as the two of them walked briskly to their goal. Stopping outside the door marked with the nameplate 'CHAKOTAY'. Pressing the door activator that opened the doors, they stepped into the ship's first officer's quarters and stood quietly taking everything in. Toned in the standard Starfleet issue grey and yet earthy colours abounded in the room's furnishings, bringing it alive.

"Gone, alone," Wenonah said softly her eyes closed, breathing deeply the scent of the room's original occupant. She looked at Tatiana. "This is where the heart once beat with vibrant life, hope and joy. Now it is gone and Voyager is dying too. Soon there will be only an empty shell not a living ship. Voyager gave her all too finally get them home; but the price was much too high for them all," her amber eyes filling with tears. The older silver-haired female said nothing for she too could feel the ship's mood, sad, unwanted and tired. Tatti made unnervingly for the special hiding place and retrieved the bundle from within. 

She laid it on the nearby desk and undid the hide covering. Inside were the things she remembered; the blackbird's wing, the Akoonah – a small rectangle device and the carved stone. Yet there was something different about it, she realised as she picked it up. It felt warm as if by the man to whom it belonged. Wenonah came over.

"His medicine wheel is out, so I've left a message in the stones," she informed softly, looking over the objects of the medicine bundle with open curiosity. Tatti opened her hand and placed the stone in her friend's young palm. "Abnaki! This is from the river plain of the obelisk," she exclaimed, holding the stone close to her chest in both hands. Whilst Tatti gathered up the bundle, the N'de female touched the desk computer panel with the stone. An electrical blue light leapt out and engulfed her hand, making her yelp more with fright rather than any pain, thus leaving the stone on the crackling panel. Once the electrics had calmed down, Wenonah carefully picked it up. At first she frowned and then smiled.

"We need to get to engineering, Tatti. We shall be taking Voyager with us." The older female didn't need any clarifications of what the N'de meant; as she folded up the native woven blanket she'd collected off the bed.

"Does she know where he went?" 

"Where the snowlines meet," her amber eyes distant. Tatti tapped her com-badge.

"Cygnus here, Tatti. Go ahead," said Kitto, in answer to her call.

"Scan the hills around San Francisco for where the snowlines meet. Use the database on Amerindian customs and culture for this area. We'll call in again soon."

"Understood, Tatti," the male in orbit acknowledged. "You should be aware that they're having trouble keeping the ship's warp core on-line," he quietly informed them.

"Acknowledged Cygnus. Tatiana out." Both females realised the import of what he'd said, as the older silver-haired female asked for a site-to-site transport to the upper levels of engineering. A blue haze formed around the pair and then they vanished. On the table lay the medicine wheel, its stones arranged into a star pattern that of Lupus in reverse with the coyote stone where Sol's star would be.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On engineering deck Starfleet personnel worked among the flickering panels, on one minute then off the next, whilst the warp core pulsed fleetingly also. None noticed the two sliver-haired females on the upper level. Wenonah put the Abnaki stone on the upper work console, in which the power flow was steady; her hand pressed over the stone, she closed her eyes and her young lips moved in a silent prayer. 

Suddenly the warp core and panels around the deck went dead. 

"What the hell?" someone shouted, banging the dead panel beneath his hands. Their commanding officer worked at the lower station opposite the now silent warp core. His staff worked around him in the eerie half lighting of the emergency back-up systems.

"At least the emergency power is holding. For now," he muttered under his breath, realising even that might not last for long. "Why now?" he asked sadly. He and his team of top Starfleet engineers had been battling most of the morning trying to keep the ship fully operational; for her new role as a living museum, but to no avail. "You should be in space, my girl," he said softly, looking at the dark warp core. "Not stuck here as a novelty!" 

"Sir; should we not ask Voyager's Chief Engineer to look her over?" the male spoke tentatively as if afraid of incurring his commander's wrath on the subject; for they were Starfleet's best. 

"I don't think it will do any good, Lieutenant. She has gone; given her last. We'll have to power her from land base systems," he sighed, running a tired hand through his hair. "I'll still give Lt. Torres a call," he added with a sad smile.

"You talk as if the ship was alive, Sir," noted the one who'd spoken after the lights went out.

"Lieutenant; when you've been in this job as long as I have, you'll realised that certain ships appear to develop a persona all of their own. Not all ships or stations I'll grant you; but some do. The Enterprise did, in all her incarnations; more so with Voyager I think," he sighed again shaking his head. "She gave all she had to get them home. How she managed to stay in one piece this long is a mystery. Due in part to her innovative crew that's true, but the rest is down to the ship herself," he smiled at the sceptical Lieutenant. "I'd better call B'Elanna. See if you two can get the land base connections up and running, Lieutenants," he ordered, walking away. "Although I fear even that will not be enough to bring her back," he whispered sadly caressing one of the consoles as he left the area.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Meanwhile: -

After about two hours of what turned out to be fruitless searching, the Voyager's met up with Janeway and Paris to compare notes outside the latter's apartment block. Only Dalby had anything concrete to report, that Chakotay had visited a local ski shop and purchased a small number of items.

"A silver padded hooded jacket, a pair of fur lined boots. The last pair the shop had in his size as the male client didn't want to wait; finally, a small knapsack. That's the lot," he said, checking his PADD list.

"Is there a time reference?" Ayala asked.

"Yes; about 11.30hrs."

"Why those particular items? And from the most old fashioned shop in town. Why not just replicate them himself?" asked Henley puzzled. "If he was going skiing, surely he'd have purchased skis also."

"Unless he wasn't; going skiing," shrugged Kenneth Dalby.

"Snow!" Ayala and Paris said together.

"There must be some old Indian places around here-about. Mike?" Tom questioned. 

"None comes to mind at the moment. I'll check the database," he said, going over to the nearest com-panel for local tourist information. Janeway quietly listened wondering why she felt so numb; no pain, no tears, no emotions of any description. So deep in her own thoughts she jumped when Tom whispered in her ear, asking if she was all right. She nodded her reply; Paris frowned, but Ayala's return stalled any further questioning on his part, for which the newly promoted Admiral was grateful. 

"There are a few places. Some are still in use by the Indians themselves so that narrows it down. I suppose," he said and assigned two or three to a group to check out each place on his list. Mike, Tom and Janeway had the most dangerous one, especially at this current time. 

"Tioga Pass," he said his face grim, looking at Janeway.

"Let's go," she said determinedly making for the nearest transporter station. "If I remember correctly, the transporter will take us near an old trader's cabin at the base of the trail pass," she informed them as they walked briskly. "To get to the pass itself we'll have to walk it." 

Tom and Mike exchanged glances for it sounded like Janeway didn't relish 'hoofing' it, so-to-speak; the two males smiled and then sobered. It was deep winter at Tioga Pass trail and that could only mean one thing.

"I'd better get a med-team put on stand-by," Tom said sadly. Mike Ayala nodded grimly. Both silently reviewed what they knew about the area: 

In the late 20th Century, the Tioga Pass had been an automobile highway running across Yosemite Park over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Mono Lake; now it was more a horse and walking trail and still closed in the winter months because of the heavy snowfalls. Along highway 120 was White Wolf a camping site set in the evergreen pine forest. Paris and Ayala wondered if that was where Chakotay was making for, as they transported near to the trading post at the White Wolf trail junction.

By the time they reached the trading cabin it was almost 16.00hrs. Chakotay would have possibly reached the same area by 12 – noon at the latest; therefore he'd have been up there on the pass height or the camp site for all of four hours. Entering the cabin was like taking a step back into a different time era, to the old Wild West pioneering days of gold prospecting and the like. It had everything one needed to set out rock climbing, gold digging or panning, camping or just trekking the high country; either on foot or horse-back. Knapsacks, tent gear, ropes, tins of assorted foodstuffs, maps and compasses lined and packed the many shelves or hung from the roof beams; a real Aladdin's cave of equipment for the intrepid outdoor explorer. 

The individual who ran the store was tall, dark and as Amerindian as they came; complete with all the trappings of his tribe in mode of dress and demeanour. 

"Greetings; far travellers. How may I help?" he asked, his voice as calm and soft as they'd known Chakotay's to be, except when angry.

"We're looking for a friend. Starfleet officer by the name of Cmdr Chakotay," Janeway said, getting straight to the point.

"No-one of that description has passed this way." Something in the way he said those words gave pause for thought at least to the two males anyway. Janeway glared at the Amerindian and was about to storm off outside.

"Wait, Admiral," cautioned Tom Paris. "We're seeking a lost friend; with the mark of the Sky Spirits." 

"Ah!" the male smiled knowingly. "He came and went. Soon to be gone." This cryptic message irritated Kathryn Janeway who did storm off out of the cabin. "Impatient one," he muttered softly. 

"Did he say where he was going or even why?" Mike Ayala asked, trying to keep a wary eye on the pacing angry Admiral through the open cabin door.

"Mine is not to question the why, my friend. He is gone to the high ground of White Wolf," he said pointing in the relevant direction. Ayala thanked him and said he'd escort Admiral Janeway up there.

"Go careful. Heavy snow storm around midday."

"So there'll be fresh snow?" he questioned, glad that they'd all had warmer clothing replicated before arriving here at White Wolf. The Amerindian just nodded wisely. 

"Do you have a modern com-system?" Paris asked quietly; having watched Ayala lead the Admiral up onto the trail to the camping ground.

"Come," the Amerindian said, leading Paris to the backroom. "You have name? I, Awan – somebody," he said with a crooked amused smile.

"Paris. Tom Paris. Thanks Awan," returning the smile as he sat down at the very out-of-place com-system. First he called Starfleet medical and asked for a standard rescue med-team to beam over to his current location. Then he called B'Elanna that was re-routed to Voyager.

"Hi! How are things?" she quietly asked. He could see that she was sitting in Chakotay's quarters aboard ship, thus his quizzical frown prompted her to explain. "Warp core went off-line earlier. So they called me in to basically set up a compatible link to land base power systems," pausing a moment her features sad. "Voyager is gone, Tom."

The male was very aware of the Amerindian – Awan, who came up beside him and spoke:

"You mean her spirit; yes?" B'Elanna nodded sadly to the question and then frowned puzzled so Tom introduced the two to each other. "Ah! It is **you** he spoke of with such warmth."

"Please, what did he say?" she asked anxiously. Tom shifted on his seat so the two of them could sit side-by-side.

"Not much at first. Snowstorm was raging at full strength. I invited him to share in a warmer. Hot drink and the heat of the stove," he smiled his whole face alive with his inner warmth. Tom and B'Elanna responded likewise. "He spoke of the long journey among the stars of the Hanging Road with his family on Voyager."

Awan remembered as he related the tale of the lonely male with the mark of the Sky Spirits, clad in a silver padded hooded jacket which covered him to about mid-thigh. Fur lined boots reaching to his knees over his pants. Beneath – as it was rather warm in the cabin – was a brown homespun tunic and pants with the beading of the Dakota tribe below the tunic's belt line. He had no other things with him except for the small knapsack, which looked empty. When the male had spoken of Voyager his deep brown eyes had come alive; talking of the people who'd crewed the vessel and of those close to him, on their long enforced journey.

"I never doubted her faith to get us home," he said faltering a moment in his narrative as if holding something back. "At what price? To us, to the ship and to **her**," he stopped and looked into his empty mug.

"You wait. No not the storm," Awan said, as the male's head snapped up to look at him. "You wait for something," he added quietly.

"Maybe," he admitted quietly, looking morosely into his mug again. "Shikasha won't come. Gone, left behind or died many seasons ago," his voice sad and dejected. 

"I had been surprised at his use of the word. It is Apache for 'brother'," he explained quietly coming back to the present. "The storm by this time had abated, although it was still snowing, he decided to leave." None of them said a word. 

"Tom," she called softly, breaking the silence between them. "When you find him, mentally record everything you first see, please." He nodded sadly, knowing they would not be finding him alive.

"You are not the first to come seeking this lost friend," Awan said quietly. "Two silver females. One with the mark of the wolf," he informed them. "About an hour before you," he added answering their unspoken question.

"Computer widen the angle," said B'Elanna getting up from the desk. She'd turned the visual com-unit round and held up something.

"The medicine wheel!" Tom said puzzled.

"Look at the stones," her voice urgent.

"Lupus in reverse," noted Awan. "The coyote stone is where I would have put Sol our sun. Good job it's not at the junction of the mountain of the Antelope women," winking at Tom. Both he and B'Elanna grinned in response. The half Klingon female put the wheel back on the table her countenance sad.

"Chakotay made me his legal next of kin. He did this as soon as we'd crossed the border from Klingon space," she informed the startled Tom Paris. "Bring his body home. Torres out," she said and then cut the connection. Paris blinked dazed.

"You can use my personal transporter to reach the cabin first," Awan said, getting to his feet. Numbly Paris followed the tall Amerindian into a small side room in which stood the one man transporter – as out of place as the com-unit. Awan operated the controls and beamed the male to his destination to the upper part of White Wolf camping grounds. 

Outside Awan found the Med-team and advised them to await orders. Up the white snow laden trail to the upper camp grounds he could see the thick red scarlet coated figure of the female Admiral with the two males flanking her; one up above and the other toiling below. 

"Shikasha is gone indeed," he whispered in the ancient tongue of his kind. "She is now the Apache, not Dakota." The Med-team looked at him puzzled not having understood his words. Awan quietly smiled knowingly and went back into his trading cabin, leaving the Starfleet med-team to await their orders in the biting cold. 

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Up above, Tom watched for a moment as the Admiral determinedly trudged through the snow, with Ayala following doggedly behind. He noted there was only one set of firm footprints in the snow leading up the trail, but around him there were two more. So like him they had transported to the log cabin here, set near the frozen stream of the upper grounds. He turned to the door of the crude log cabin and softly entered. The one window allowed some light to enter yet it wasn't hard to see the naked prone body lying on the bare wooden floor his feet facing the doorway. His medical training kicked in as he took in the bluish tinge to the male's skin, he knelt down and ran his medical tricorder over the still form. No comforting beeps assured him that the male was still alive. Closing the offending item he looked at the male's sleeping face.

"Be at peace; my friend," he whispered softly, looking down on that solid handsome face, the tattoo standing out starkly against the bluish/whiteness of the male's cold skin. Beneath the body lay the native woven blanket that had been spread on the man's bed aboard Voyager. It had been a main feature ever since they'd left Abnaki. "So the knapsack hadn't been quite as empty as it had appeared," he said softly, spying it – probably now stuffed with the clothes he'd worn up here; he thought - and the boots standing near the male's head. Tom stood and touched his com-badge just as the door to the cabin swung open and admitted to the wide open doorway, Admiral Janeway. 

"Paris to Med-team."

"Med-team leader here, Mr. Paris.

"Bring up the body bag," his eyes sad as he locked gazes with Ayala who now stood panting a little behind the petite Admiral.

"Acknowledged, Mr. Paris. We'll transport. Med-team leader out." 

tbc...


	5. Chapter 5

Diclaimer see chapter one...but I still do not own STVOY.

**Chapter 5**

Starfleet Medical:-

B'Elanna Torres stood outside the building a moment to gather herself; behind her was a small group of Hupa Indians. One gently touched her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. Holding her head high she stepped forward, the Indians following her silently into the morgue reception area of the building.

"Ma'am; How may I help you?" asked the female med-receptionist from behind her console. Torres handed over a PADD, which gave the female all the information she needed to deal with this silent group. A beep on her computer console informed her of the arrival of a new body to the mortuary labs. "The body you are requesting has just arrived," she said solemnly. The young med-tech worked her console to add the PADD's orders to her database and then the cause of death of the deceased – acute hypothermia – to the PADD. She handed the completed documentation back to the waiting half-Klingon female. She gave them directions of where to go to collect the body and sighed with relief when they'd gone. "Why do Indians always give me the creeps?" she whispered softly, her body shivering a little.

"Perhaps it's their knowing eyes," said her relief colleague, having made sure her friend was aware of her presence before speaking.

"You could be right there," she smiled. "All is in order. Have a good day," she said; about to put in her sign out code when the com-channel interrupted her. "Starfleet Medical Mortuary," she responded pleasantly on opening the channel.

"The body just beamed into you. **I** want it held in stasis and be subjected to a thorough examination."

"Ma'am, Admiral. The body has already been released to the next of kin," she said calmly.

"Who to?" the woman snapped.

"Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres."

The female at the other end of the com-link, looked about to demand something, but a male moved from behind her and quietly closed the channel. Both receptionists breathed with relief.

"Better him than us," sighed her companion.

"Indeed. One very angry woman. See you later," she smiled having finally signed off, she left the building hoping she wouldn't bump into **that** female Admiral in person.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

San Francisco:- 

Paris arrived back at his home apartment alone. Janeway had stormed off the transporter platform without a word to him or Ayala when they'd returned to San Francisco. Mike was to inform the others of their find and to gather everyone at the Paris' home. Tom quietly recalled what Awan had said to him: _"Shikasha is now Apache not Dakota. Be careful."_ Voyager's former pilot/conn officer had nodded his understanding and thanked the Amerindian for his assistance.

"Daddy!" his daughter's voice greeted him, bringing him back to the present. She hugged him. Sixteen years old and with something of the insecurities of her mother, especially now they were on Earth. "He's gone? Hasn't he?" she whispered into his chest. He held her tighter, telling her without words the answer to her questions. He also silently acknowledged his other visitor, the Doctor – Voyager's EMH.

"Tom!" called his wife, her voice anxious as she strode into the main reception area of their apartment and joined her daughter in hugging him. The three of them stood together in shared grief just holding each other for mutual comfort and support. Tom held out a hand to the Doctor, thus he too joined the silent embrace.

Soon the others of Voyager's search party started to join them along with family members or with messages from those who would meet with them later. Torres informed them of the pre-planned arrangements for Chakotay's funeral and where it was to be held. Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in north California State. The only person not present was Admiral Kathryn Janeway.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hoopa Valley:-

It was nearing sunset as they all joined together around the funeral pyre set outside the collection of Indian dwellings of the Hupa tribe. The Chief held a lighted torch – the only source of fire/light at that moment. Standing next to him was B'Elanna Torres; they both stood a little apart from the main circle of mourners. Behind her was Miral and Tom Paris, along with Cmdr. Reginald Barclay. He watched as the lighted torch was given to B'Elanna and she thrust it into the wood pyre at the bodies head. Greedy flames licked into the dry brushwood pile beneath the blanket shrouded body.

"NO!" a voice shouted, pushing forward through the crowd near to Tom Paris. He turned and halted the person's mad dash forward. "This must stop now," she growled angrily. "Soon there'll be nothing left," trying to fight her way pass the male who blocked her path.

"KATHRYN!" he shouted, finally getting her attention, feeling his wife rejoin him. "There was nothing left before he went to White Wolf camping grounds at Tioga Pass. Now he's on his way to the Happy Hunting Grounds," he said sadly, watching the woman before him deflate.

The Doctor and Barclay took the Admiral in hand. Tom put his arms around his wife and daughter as they watched the flames grow higher around the body consuming it completely. Soft humming broke the darkening night over the sound of the greedy flames, as the Indians quietly moved in among the mourners and led them in the farewell dance around the funeral pyre of their friend.

The stars glittered above them as the flames dropped down to a steady glow and the Chief drew them away to the small feast his people had prepared for the Voyagers. Torches glowed around the open central square of the village and the hearty feast that awaited them. The Chief also invited them to share something else also.

"You honour us by bringing the one who was touched by the Sky Spirits here for his final journeying," he paused to gaze round at the faces sitting round him, his voice ringing with the ancient wisdom of his people the N'de. "It is our custom to share our memories and thoughts about our fellow kin who has journeyed on without us. We hope you will do the same now for Kindred Spirit," the Chief said. If he noticed the indrawn breaths at what he'd called Chakotay he chose not to acknowledge it openly. "Perhaps you would like to begin, First Kin," he said putting a gentle hand on B'Elanna's taunt shoulder as he sat down cross-legged beside her.

For awhile she stared into the gathering gloom and the expectant faces around her, then slowly at first she spoke about the man who'd come to be a kind of surrogate 'big' brother to her. Warmed by the shared grief around her – not just from her fellow Voyagers – but also the Hupa Indians whose guests they now were. Her memories of Chakotay flowed from her, some good, some sad and others funny which had everyone either grinning or laughing. The stories he'd shared with her were brought out into the firelight; everyone listened enthralled as if to hold them close inside themselves.

When she'd finished a quiet reflective silence surrounded the group, only to be broken a little while later by the quiet voice of Tom Paris as he too shared his own memories of the big man who'd touched the lives of them all in one way or another. His thoughts and impressions of his first meeting with Chakotay were rather revealing and gave some meaning and insight into his actions on Ocampa.

Ayala followed soon after him. One by one each crew member added something that they remembered of their friend and commanding officer; even Harry Kim, joined in the proceedings; although he was currently on a new deep space four year mission for Starfleet; with Barclay's help he shared his memories that included his holodeck sessions with Chakotay.

"He said he wouldn't give a public performance. I'm glad though I asked the computer to record our sessions together. He was a really good and talented player," he said wistfully.

In the darkness near the village two pairs of ears listened and eyes watched, one pair a deep amber, the other light hazel in colour; an active recording device in the latter's hand, listened also and recorded the voices and music; of the Voyagers as they spoke about their lost friend. Only one set of memories were missing: Kathryn Janeway's.

Meanwhile at the funeral pyre's ash remains two Indians worked carefully in raking up the still warm embers. An odd sound disturbed their work; bending down one examined the new shape within the ashes. Using a cloth one of the men picked up the roundish object and rubbed it clean of the black soot. As it was revealed they both smiled; the elder of the two wrapped it within the cloth and placed it in his pocket until their job was done. Soon the ashes were placed into a simple wooden box, which was sealed and taken to their Chief along with the object.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In the pre-dawn light most of the Voyager crew said their goodbyes to each other and their hosts the Hupa Indians - of Kathryn Janeway nothing was seen - until only the Paris' remained. The Chief gave B'Elanna the simple wooden container, which housed Chakotay's ashes.

"My son, Nodin will take you to the heights, so you can scatter these ashes to the dawn winds," he smiled softly watching as the woman gave the box to her husband. The Chief took her hand in his and laid in her palm the semi-warm object and then closed her other over the top and pressed them together around the cloth covered item. "The Great Spirit guides you."

The family of three with their Hupa host/guide set off for the nearby hills whilst the sun grew in strength spreading its warmth into the surrounding countryside as they climbed. Once atop the highest promontory, Tom opened the container and gave it to Miral.

"Be at peace Uncle Chakotay," she whispered shaking the ashes out of the wooden container over the soft windy ridge.

"Nodin; my wife and I would like to stay awhile. Miral you return with Nodin to the village. We'll meet you there to break-fast soon," her father said quietly, holding his wife close to him. The 16yr old gazed at her parents feeling tired and strangely numb, yet she nodded her acceptance. Softly at first a lone voice sang across the valley.

Nodin was startled and then smiled. "That is not a sound heard here for a long time," he said softly and then echoed it as he took Miral's hand and led her back down to the village. Soon the valley was filled with human wolf song, ringing to and fro between the forested hills. When it died the lone first voice sang again to be joined distantly by others, that of wild Coyotes and Grey Wolves.

B'Elanna opened her hand and unwrapped the object she'd been given; she gasped. "Chakotay's medicine stone. But this is the original not the replacement from Abnaki," she said, looking at the craved brown stone, her eyes searching Tom's face, which asked the obvious question. "I found a river stone at the obelisk river plain whilst we were on Abnaki, as I was trying to think as to how to repair the alien structure. I gave the new stone to him after we left Kaldora. Later I saw him finish craving it and put it in his medicine bundle. He told me he'd given the original – this one – to Tatiana," she informed him, her breath quickening.

"You hope he's still alive?" feeling his own hopes rise.

"What with the Medicine wheel and now this," caressing the stone. "Yes, Tom I do. Keep him safe," she whispered to the dawn winds.

"Do we tell…?" he stopped at the shaking of her head. "Where do you plan to keep it?" he asked as she re-wrapped it.

"Under **our** pillow," her tone determined, as she smiled. He knew she was trying to get her own way, but in this case he didn't mind, as he added his own silent prayer to the Great Spirit about their friend Chakotay – Kindred Spirit.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Magaski – Earth's orbit:-

The sunlight glinted off the white shaped Swan as it glided in its orbit over the continent of the Americas, seeming to revel in the task of keeping a stable high orbit to avoid the large Space Station in orbit also. Soon she flew off toward the outer planets, flying over the top of Lunus - Moon as she did so; she swept through the asteroid belt with grace and soon reached the lovely rings of Saturn. Once more she took up a high orbit of the planet and waited; Sol's main star accentuated the streamline curves of her white metal body.

Within her on the main bridge Hakan finished downloading the Voyager crew's memory stories from the funeral party at Hoopa Valley, into the computer's databanks. Earlier Olan had placed the Abnaki stone on the main computer core control panel and something changed, for when they'd made enquires of the computer it had sounded more feminine than before and even joyful. Hakan smiled softly now as he worked the console, feeling the ship respond to the combined memories of the lives the Commander had touched, whilst serving as Voyager's First Officer. His yellow eyes became sad as he recalled how the male had come aboard via the shuttle 'Cygnus'. Blue tinged in the medium stages of Hypothermia. Wenonah had been wrapped close to the cold male holding his body to her youthful warmth under several layers of thick warm blankets, including the one Tatiana had removed from Voyager.

Now she and Owissa were with him in the Captain's cabin, hoping very much to keep him alive and to help him recover. Owissa monitored both occupants of the bed; a drip feed attached to the prone male, fed into his cold veins the warmed Ringer's solution, which also had a special drug they'd been given to help him. The young female medic watched her patient closely taking in his strong handsome features which were slowly loosing their blue tinge as his body's core temperature rose steadily. She knew just how close they'd come to losing him to acute hypothermia; not something she really wanted to think about, as she sat in the quiet cabin the lights dimmed to soft dusk-like levels.

She remembered the vibrant life that had been in the younger version of this human male, which she'd met when Magaski had ended up in the Delta Quadrant near Voyager and the Borg transwarp hub. The younger Chakotay had had the beginnings of grey peppering the edges of his dark hair, yet on the whole it had still been a glossy black. Her patient's hair was pure white, thick with an underlay of grey. This was in part due to his age as well as the hypothermia; strangely it made him look even more handsome, she thought, especially as his skin took on its true bronze tanned healthy glow. Owissa hoped that the other Voyager had made it home intact.

Suddenly the ship surged through space; alarmed Owissa contacted the bridge.

"What is happening?" she asked, speaking for both herself and Wenonah.

"Time displacement wave," she was told, hurriedly.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On the bridge Kitto piloted the craft at full speed out of the Sol system, trying to keep ahead of the wave front, as it swept through the ten planet system, changing time from 2394 back to 2378 and USS Voyager's unexpected return to the Alpha Quadrant. Soon the wave started to disperse, as it and they raced into outer space. Magaski reached it first and took a steep climb upward as the wave flowed calmly beneath them, dispasitating completely and leaving them untouched by the changes it had just wrought in the Sol system. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and put all the ships systems on stand-by.

No-one spoke, but just sat there trying to take in all that had happened to them since they'd left Kaldora and Abnaki. It was Jabez who broke the lengthening silence:

"We'd er…better…" he paused and took a deep breath. "We'd better do a thorough systems check," he ordered more decisively. "Before we decide what our next move will be. Hakan, you'd better keep a close ear on Federation comm-traffic." The silver-grey headed male nodded acceptance, whilst the others on the bridge set about checking their systems. It was just as well that Seven of Nine had added the data she had about transwarp drives and even temporal displacements and paradoxes; Jabez had a feeling they were going to need the data, especially now.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In the Captain's quarters/cabin situated one deck below the bridge someone stirred in the semi-dark sleeping area and came fully awake for the first time in days. He took in the area around him feeling warm and alive in the comfortable bed; he stretched his body beneath the bed covering, his life's blood pumping steadily through his veins. He vaguely recalled the young female body that had been close to his and the gentle female voice that had comforted him, obviously checking his vital signs from what few words he remembered hearing. Neither person was with him at that moment nor the drip feed that had once been a constant presence, was now gone.

He lay quiet, his dark eyes sad roaming the dim-lit interior of his current location. Along the opposite wall paralle to the bed he was lying in, was a wall unit of bookshelves and general nooks and crannies for displaying items, plus drawers and a wardrobe. Most of the former were empty except for a large ornate etched piece of slate; but in the dim lighting he could not make out the design. Over the bed on the wall against which one full length of the bed rested was hung a picture of a wooded shoreline. A distant memory stirred in the male, yet he didn't recognise the place. At the bed's foot in the corner opposite the main door was a small bathroom/shower area. As his eyes continued their lazy roaming of the room, he quietly flexed his muscles beneath the bed clothes; feeling their soft warmth against his skin. Another sensation was assailing his being and he knew, like it or not he was going to have to deal with his body's urgings and very soon. Carefully he sat upright on the open side of the bed his barefeet on the soft carpeted floor. His head swam a little, but the urgings in his bowels could not be irgnored, thus he stood and managed to get to the bathroom before his rather full bladder embassed him.

The relief was good, taking a look around the washing area, so neatly and compactly laid out. He returned to the bed area and checked the drawers and wardrobe; here he found clothing all in his size. He selected a pair of brown pants and tunic with the Dakota beading bewteen the belt and hemline. The mossicins were a soft comfortable fit and completed the outfit , he realised as he stood looking at himself in the full length mirror. Picking up the glass of water that the computer had dispensed for him, from the small replicator he moved to the main door and walked through and then stopped abruptly between the door frome.

There in front of him was open space, the stars shining invitingly. He breathed deep and glupped down his panic, standing one foot posed over the threshold.

"Com…puter," he stammered, holding on tight to the door frame. "Where?....What?"

#Is the view too open?# a familiar voice asked gently. Although he nodded, he also voiced it whilst trying to calm his panic. As he watched the open floor to ceiling visa changed and diminished to a normal looking view-port surround.

"How?" he asked, still holding onto the door frame more for moral support than physical; as the room brightened to reveal a spacious area with seating, bookshelves, comm-board, computer terminal, tables etc; all the trappings of a generous sized quarters.

#The ship's external skin has varible optics for those inside, whilst remaining oplaque for those outside.# the computer informed him, it's voice a warm female.

"I see," he responded stepping carefully into the room and taking in the normal view, of what he realised was the Sol system. He took a seat on the sofa seating next to the wall that separated off the sleeping area from the main quarters and let his eyes roam round the well lit living space.

"Whose ship is this?" he asked.

#Please re-phrase the question.# He smiled resigned as it was a familiar response one he'd often been exsaparated with at times over 'Voyagers' long journey through the Delta Quadrant.

"What is the ship's name, then?" his tone amused.

#White Swan – Magaski.#

Stunned he sat very still for many minutes, then he put his now empty glass down on the coffee talbe in front of him.

"Is there a crew aboard?"

#Affirmative.# was the automatic reply, making him smile.

"You're not going to make this easy for me. Are you?" he noted amused.

#Affirmative.# He laughed, something he had not done for some time, the sound joyous as it rang around the room.

"You haven't changed much, have you?" he sighed, his smile reaching his dark eyes. "And don't you **dare** say – Affiramtive," he admonished mimicing the computers normal voice; but she did so anyway. Shaking his head amused, he stood and strolled round what was very obviously **his** quarters aboard 'Magaski'. Everything was done to his tastes, from the colours of the main décor of the furnishings to the general layout. He found a large Starfleet issued trunk-like box situated near the exit door, on opening it he discovered it belonged to him. Moving it to the middle of the open area of the floor, he sank down cross-legged and took the items from within out one by one. They were items from his 'Voyager' days that he'd packed in it once the debriefings had finally finished. Although Starfleet had issued him with quarters at Starfleet HQ in San Francisco, he'd only really felt comfortable sleeping in his quarters aboard 'Voyager'. Thus the computer had always masked his presence whilst aboard from the Starfleet secruity personnel – both landbased and the workers who'd been fitting the ship out to be a museum.

"How come you're here and not still with your old skin?" he asked as he removed one of his sand pictures, the last he'd done before he'd married Seven.

#Please re-phrase the question.# He grinned at her tone. After Seven's death, he and Voyager's computer had in essence struck up an unusual repport with each other and especially after they visited H'uraru – Atira – Earth Mother.

"You remember HA?" he asked softly as he unwrapped the gift he'd been given by the people there; people only he had met.

#Affirmative.# her tone gentle. #According to the main databanks and sensor information; this vessel had also visited H'uraru – Atira.# she told him, his head lifted at that news.

"When?" he asked.

#Unable to ascertain the information correctly.# she informed him. #As current timeline is uncertain.# she added.

"Interesting. Why don't you do some more research," his voice faltering as he removed another item that had been given. "Miral," he whispered his eyes filling with tears as his memory stirred. It was her very first attempt at doing a sand picture under his tutorlage, but she had felt it wasn't that good.

"_Your first attempt, Miral. Better than mine had been. May I keep it?" The young child had nodded and then joined Naomi for a game of Kadis-kot._

He carefully put the picture and the painful memeroies to one side and continued to unpack the trunk. The computer informed him in her best immitation of the EMH's abrasive tones that he required nourishment and replicated a large mug of his favourite soup; chiding him not to let it get cold. Reluctantly he got up off the floor and retreaved the mug and stood at the veiw-ports sipping his hot soup and quietly contemplated the view.

"So what have you discovered about the timeline?" he asked softly.

#The timeline has shifted. You and this vessel are of 2394. the outside time frame is 2378.#

"How is that possible?" frowning, turning from the view to sit down on the seating under the window.

#Still evaluating the information.#

"Really?" he queried softly amused as he leaned back into the seating. "It doesn't usually take you this long, Atira."

#I am still assessing my new skin,# she informed him hesitantly. #Cha-ko-tay.# Although she'd only ever called him by his given name in private, it had been a long time since she'd done so; thus he commented on it. #Long time since you called me 'Atira',# she said softly.

"I know," he responded sadly. He finished up his soup and then recycled the empty mug, before sitting back down beside his trunk of personal belongs. "What of Magaski's crew?"

#What of them?# she responded calmly, teasing him.

"You're definatly not going to make this easy, are you?" he said, smiling.

#Affirmative.#

He spent the next hour or so, unpacking the trunk and finding special places around his quarters for some of the more personal items; like Miral's sand picture and the gift from the H'ura's. Only two items appeared to be missing, one was his medicine bundle, the other his medicine wheel. He was sure he had packed both, frowning puzzled as he carefully searched in the trunk; yet they were not there. He picked up his Quenacho and lovingly ran his hand down its length.

#Play please, Cha-ko-tay.# Atira said softly.

"It's been too long. I shall be a bit rusty," he said sadly, fingering the play holes. He had stopped playing in the holodeck with Harry Kim after Seven's death, if not a little before that, as the woman had been jealously suspiceious of anything he did without her. Now he put the flute to his lips and blew. The piece he played was very familiar to him and came a lot easier than he'd been expecting.

#Magaski.# she whispered, giving the piece its name as he continued to play. Tears ran silently down his cheeks, yet he didn't falter in his playing or stop until the piece had reached its natural conclusion. Emotionally stirred by the music he breathed deeply, returning the flute to its skin covering and placing it on the shelf above the computer terminal; where he asked for the schmatics of the ship; yet she suggested that he walk it.

#There are only five decks and you are currently on deck two.#

Smiling at her tone he went and washed his face, refreshing and composing himself, he left his quarters to walk the decks.

tbc.....


	6. Chapter 6

See chapter one for disclaimer: Alyxx Darkka is my own creation.

**Chapter 6**

His soft tread led him around what turned out to be Sickbay, two small medical bays and the doctor's office, all currently empty. Toward the rear of the vessel he could hear the soft beating hum of an active warp core; thus he found himself above main engineering. Yet instead of the more usual blue pulsing glow, this warp core was a bluish-green.

"Transwarp!" he realised looking down onto the lower deck. A shadow appeared to move across the deck below him, but after waiting for his heart to stop thumping in his chest, nothing else stirred, so he took the engineers lift down to the lower level.

The area was lighter than a Borg cube, but darker than Voyager's engineering deck and yet the layout wasn't much different. He stood gazing unseeing at the main core, hearing in his memory Torres abrupt tones as she berated her staff or cajoled the engines into giving her a little bit more to get them through their latest escapade. He almost expected to hear her voice chiddle and gently tease him as to what he was doing; but it only sounded in his mind. Pushing the memories aside he continued his walk of that deck, discovering the engineers' office, storage areas and some crew quarters. On finding a maintenance shaft he decided to go downwards to see where it would take him.

Meanwhile up on deck one on the bridge the crew were trying to get the computer to tell them where their guest was and if he was in good health.

#Unable to comply.# the computer told them for what must have been the hundredth try.

"Computer answer the question or I'll decompile you," Olan threatened. It wasn't often that he became angry, but the machine had tried his patience.

#What question?# it asked.

"She sounds like a playful child," noted Owissa.

"Child or not; She/**it** should do as **it** is told," her half twin growled. Most of them were seated at their main work stations with the exception of Wenonah and Owissa who both sat on the comfort seating under the main view-ports.

"Maybe if you asked nicely," she halted at the scowl he shot in her direction.

"Wenonah is right," noted Hakan, turning from monitoring the comm.-panel. "Computer, could I request that I be given the current locale of Cmdr. Chakotay, please?" he asked. For a moment nothing happened as least not vocally; then lights flickered on the internal sensor console and revealed the male's whereabouts.

"Main shuttle bay and cargo hold. Deck 5," read Jabez.

"Medical data is here also," said Stella, seeing her console light up with the relevant information in front of her. "He's in good shape. Thank you," she added with a smile.

#You are welcome.# the voice warm.

"Computer do you have a name?" Tatti asked, remembering something she'd overheard from the Starfleet Chief Engineer after the area went dead aboard Voyager on Earth in 2394.

#Affirmative.#

"May we know what it is, please?" she asked quietly, quelling Olan's retort with a sharp look and a shake of her head at him.

#You need to ask Commander Chakotay# she responded.

"What is he doing?"

"Walking the decks, I imagine," noted Kitto. "If the computer is playful with us; I'm sure she'll have told him to do his own research with some leg-work."

#Affirmative.# was the electronic response; setting off a series of giggles and light laughter, even Olan's face smoothed out from its scowl to smile.

"I don't know," he said sighing resigned.

"Looks like our future journeys will be fun," said Jabez, giving his wife a soft knowing look. Stella felt herself blush under his gaze, but no one commented.

"Let's retire to the Mess hall and get something to eat. Computer could you make sure that location is the last place Chakotay comes to," said Tatti.

#Affirmative.#

"I think I'm going to hate that word some time soon," Olan muttered as they left the bridge.

A soft electronic chuckle followed them out.

* * *

Starfleet HQ San Francisco: - 2380

A male figure stood looking out across the wide bay to the Golden gate bridge, thus his back was facing the office door when its usual high ranking occupant entered. A smile graced the officer's face on seeing him standing hands clasped behind his back and silhouetted against the fair day outside.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No problem, Kathryn," the smile in his voice; he turned that dimpled smile on her. She grinned in response, ignoring the fact that he had called her by her personal name instead of her rank, as she now wore the pips of an Admiral; whilst her male friend had the four pips of a Starfleet Captain. Both were modelling the new style of uniform, which from his reactions he was still trying to get use to. Kathryn walked to the seat behind her desk and sat down.

"Your first assignment went well, I see," she said, picking up the PADD off her desk, whilst he returned to the full view.

"Well enough," he sighed. "I still feel like I'm on probation."

"For some in Starfleet, that may never change. No matter how well you 'stay-in-line'," she noted imitating another Admiral's tone.

"Now where have I heard **that** before?" he teased with a grin, moving to sit casually on her desk. Janeway just smiled gently at him. A knock at her door heralded another visitor, yet this was a special and expected one.

"Ah! Coffee!" she said and called for the person to enter. The aroma of full roasted freshly brewed coffee both proceeded and followed the young male Ensign. "My Aide," she said, "Lovely Ensign; the usual arrangements," she ordered, following him as he put the tray down on the low coffee table that stood in front of a large comfortable sofa, set near the wide windows.

"Yes, Admiral; as always!" he grinned; nodding to Chakotay and left.

"What was all that about?" he asked joining her on the sofa.

"Oh a little arrangement I have; that when I call for coffee, there are to be no interruptions for the next two hours. It's to savour my favourite brew," she told him, having poured herself a generous cup of the dark liquid and held it reverently inhaling its aroma. "Help yourself," she invited.

"I wished I'd known that back on Voyager; I'd have called the Doctor a lot sooner about your possible addiction," he teased, pouring himself a small cup and adding milk and sugar.

"You wouldn't have dared. Or you'd have found yourself in the Brig," she teased.

"Might have been worth it; because I can see you haven't changed that much!" he said sitting back and watching her as she drank the hot dark brew, eyes closed.

"Hmm! Why should I?" toasting him with her cup and relaxing as she savoured each delightful mouthful. "After all this is the real McCoy, not the replicated stuff." Chakotay smiled at her blissful expression and returned his own dark gaze to the view of the bay, yet he found himself unconsciously, still mentally counting the number of cups she consumed. Kathryn Janeway said nothing, yet knew him so well that she was aware of when he felt that she'd had more than enough cups. Something in his subtle body language or was it his deep sighs, she couldn't be sure, yet she welcomed them like a long lost friend.

"How are things on Voyager?" she asked softly; taking in his strong gentle features over the rim of her fourth cup of coffee and trying to make last longer.

"Well enough," he chuckled amused. "I feel like I've gone full circle with the crew; except it's not Starfleet-Maquis, but Delta v Alpha Quadrant, Dominion War v Lost crew."

"Sounds bumpy!" she commented, resisting the urge to refill her empty cup.

"It is," he said, putting down his empty cup and leaning back into the sofa. "I'm just please there is a fully trained counsellor on board; yet the resentment remains," sighing he closed his eyes. Janeway said nothing, what could she say, knowing that many other former members of Voyager's crew were experiencing similar resentments wherever they worked.

"Some seem to think that we had a picnic out there in the Delta Quadrant, being so far removed from the horrors of war…." his voice faded. He didn't have to continue the thought as she'd heard it all before - even among the Admirals around her – although she was somewhat shielded from the more direct jibes of her work colleagues.

"I do understand. Many of those who've left the fold are feeling it too," Janeway said her voice and face reflecting her sadness about the whole affair. Silence enfolded around them both like a comfortable blanket, one they both welcomed. Chakotay sighed leaning forward to put his empty cup on the table and then leaned his elbows on his knees.

"I was contacted by an old friend who reminded me that there are something's you can't change, one of them being human nature," he smiled at the memory, still looking out over the bay toward the iconic structure of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"That's an interesting observation!"

"It is considering this friend isn't human," he grinned and looked at Janeway still nursing her coffee cup. "One thing that stood out though was something this humanoid said; and I quote 'You can't fake what you don't know'."

"Meaning?" she asked frowning puzzled.

"If we'd all told exactly the same story of our journey through the Delta Quadrant, from Captain down to the lowest Crewman, then it could be said that we'd made it all up."

"Something, some in Admiralty are still accusing us of," she noted quietly. He didn't comment on that for she knew how he felt about Starfleet's treatment of him in particular and the other Maquis in general.

"Fortunately our stories/experiences were consistent with the positions we held on Voyager and told from that perspective. Thus as a consequence they're all different," he explained quietly his dark eyes smiling at the memory of the person in question.

"Who is this humanoid friend?" she asked her curiosity piqued. His grin widen at her tone of voice, which was edged with suspicion.

"The Chief Science Officer of the Ben Nevis," he responded casually still grinning.

"Sounds like I'll have to look this person up!" she noted, his laughter puzzling her, yet he didn't enlighten her.

"You do that, Admiral," he suggested, noting that her frown deepened as she contemplated his open expression. Not long after a call from Admiral Hayes caused him to frown and get to his feet to report to the man's office just down the hall from the one he currently occupied.

"If he should question you…..?"

"I know; personal request for coffee," he responded without much humour, giving her a mock bow, his shoulders taught as he left. Janeway sighed as the door closed behind him.

"When will they really trust you?" she wondered, having poured another cup of coffee, now that he was gone, she took a sip, yet it tasted sour. Kathryn realised the mood – her mood – had changed, so she left the coffee tray alone and went to her desk, deciding to check-up on this Science officer Chakotay knew.

"Computer current crew manifest of the USS Ben Nevis, senior staff only," she requested determinedly. It didn't take long for the requested information to appear on her active monitor and scan down the list to the science department and call up the relevant file of the CSO. The face of a Trill female with the standard brown spots running down each side of her face stared back at Janeway; but this face had softer forehead ridges of the other humanoid species that inhabited the planet Trillus Prime. It was the woman's intense green eyed gaze that held her attention. Kathryn quietly read about the woman not just Chief of her department on the Nevis as an accomplished Medical Scientist, but she also had basic training in Practicing Medicine and Counselling techs.

"What I don't understand...." she muttered to herself, frowning; thus she kept reading: "On temporary assignment as Counsellor to USS Voyager, under the Command of Counsellor Deanna Troi," Janeway stared at the screen where the picture of the female Trill looked silently back. She had a feeling she was missing something, as if something was escaping her notice, returning to the main part of the file.

"Joined to symbiont – Darkka, 2362. Transported to Trillus Prime aboard the USS Gettysburg. Computer cross reference crews of Gettysburg with that of the Ben Nevis," she ordered.

#No match found.#

"With Voyager?"

#One match found. Captain Chakotay was full Lieutenant Conn officer aboard the USS Gettysburg in 2362.

"Thank you," she said quietly, as she continued to read about the woman who knew her former First Officer and friend.

* * *

"Captain. Good of you to come," he said, in a tone that suggested he didn't think his guest would do so. It rankled with Chakotay, yet he bit his tongue – figuratively speaking – as he took the chair the Admiral indicated.

"There have been reports of a faint transwarp signature at the heliosphere of our solar system, over the last couple of years. It was briefly picked up just after Voyager returned, thus it was believed to have been from the Borg sphere, thus was dismissed; but it has been fading in and out ever since then," he started to explain, not really looking at his visitor. Chakotay held his tongue and kept his face neutral, as he watched this high ranking officer who obviously didn't trust him and spared no pains to hide this fact.

"Over the last week the readings have become more stable and yet not completely," at this point Hayes did look up from the PADD in front of him and gazed straight at Chakotay. "Your orders, **Captain**, are to investigate these readings and report back your findings **directly to me.** Is that clear?"

"Yes, Admiral," trying not to clench his jaw together.

"Good. Dismissed," he said, and returned his attention back to the PADD on his desk. Chakotay knew an official dismissal when he saw one but this was a personal dismissal in more ways than one; thus he strode purposefully out of the Admiralty building and out to the nearest public transporter, rather than use the one in the building itself, having let his pent-up anger and frustration carry him there.

"Where to, Captain?" asked the transporter operator politely.

"Main Space dock."

"Very good, Captain. Please step up," the operator encouraged happily. "Admiralty transporter busy, Captain?" he enquired once Chakotay stood in place and he'd set the controls.

"Maybe. Energise," a soft smile tugging around his lips; he didn't feel like enlightening the man, yet he had an inking he probably knew anyway or could guess. The next thing he saw was the operator of Space dock's civilian transporter.

"Welcome aboard, Captain," the older man greeted him.

"Thank you," he acknowledged and strode away to where Voyager was currently docked. The Security Ensign at the airlock greeted him with a quiet nod, yet as soon as Chakotay had stepped into the ship's corridor he turned and called to the Ensign.

"Something wrong, Captain?" he asked, looking puzzled yet a little bored.

"Yes, Ensign. What is the standard procedure for **all** personnel entering and leaving the ship, when in Space dock?" he asked pointedly. He didn't give the man a chance to answer, but added, "I suggest you look it up and memorise it, **Ensign**."

"Yes, Sir," visibly shaken by the Captain's anger and didn't dare to say another word until the tattooed male had disappeared into the local turbo-lift. Inside that lift Chakotay grinned to himself and then sighed, remembering that Tuvok would never have let anyone forget such a thing as full security protocol, even if the person was known to the one on Security duty. He stepped onto the Bridge, he looked at Lt. Kim but didn't feel like taking him to task over the lack security protocols, at least not yet; thus he joined Paris in the main command area were the younger man was seated in what had been his command chair, now he sat in 'her' chair. He pushed the thought aside and joined Paris, who'd stood in a gesture of welcome to him.

"Helm, have space dock clear us for departure."

"That order has already come through directly from Admiral Hayes, Captain," the Lieutenant at the Conn informed him politely. The silence became tense; Chakotay's jaw tightened, he also felt a hand on his arm that squeezed gently; he didn't need to look round to know who'd offered the caution. He swallowed his anger.

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant Tare. Take us out and set course for the heliosphere," he ordered taking his seat, Paris beside him.

"Aye, Sir. Course laid in and set; releasing docking clamps," Tare was all business as they eased away out of Space Dock One and headed out into outer space. Inwardly he continued to fume at the Admiral who'd deliberately gone behind his back, in a gesture that smacked to anyone with any common sense that Admiral Hayes didn't trust the Captain of Voyager.

The crew quietly worked around him, yet the air on the Bridge was still tense, as they wondered if their Captain would give vent to his tightly reined in anger. Chakotay stared at the main view screen, watching stars streak pass; yet as he looked he saw a gentle face, the stars turning into brown spots down either side of the females face, green eyes looking intently at him.

"_Put the fires out, Vesuvius. You'll only damage yourself not the ones you're angry at," her soft voice told him. "Don't, Chakotay. Admiralty isn't worth it," _her voice echoing in his thoughts_._

"You're right; they're not," he admitted softly.

"Captain?" Paris questioned quietly puzzled by what he'd heard.

"Nothing, Tom," he said a relaxed smile on his face; it eased the tension from among the crew, although some were sorry not to see the big tattooed man loose his cool; yet on the other hand these Dominion war veterans were slowly coming to realise that the Delta Quadrant people had had their fair share of horrors, set-backs and trauma, all endured over their long journey without the back-up of Starfleet, the Federation or any other friendly nation.

"Remember Alyxx?" Tom quietly asked. Chakotay's smile turned into a broad grin.

"She's hard to forget," he responded.

"Yeah! I saw her the other day and she made an interesting suggestion, one I hadn't thought of before," pausing to gather his resolve and noting that the Bridge crew were listening and yet trying to look as if they weren't. "Group stories about our experiences."

"What did our Counsellor say to that?"

"She thought it an interesting idea. In fact she's scheduled one for tonight in the Mess Hall, initially, but it maybe moved to one of the holodecks; provided there's enough interest to warrant a bigger area."

"I see. Will you be there?" silly question really he knew, but he had to ask.

"Yes, Captain and you're down as first story teller," Paris informed him, handing over the PADD with the relevant details; listing who Astall thought should take part. Chakotay noted it wasn't just the former Voyager crew, but also many of the War veterans.

"Naturally," he said, handing back the PADD having endorsed the arrangement and noting the time, 19.00hrs – approx.

The rest of their journey to the heliosphere proved uneventful, engineering reported no problems which had been cropping up from time to time, but Chakotay had simply put it down to petty play by the non-voyager half of his crew.

'I'll have to stop thinking along those lines or we'll never be a complete team,' he admonished himself. He sat quietly in his chair feeling the mood of the bridge crew around him, realising it was less tense than it had been from when he'd first arrived back from Starfleet Admiralty.

'I don't bite!' he thought making him smile.

"Care to share?" asked a voice from beside him, causing the tattooed face to broaden the smile so that his dimples showed.

"Now for the moment," grinning at the mystified Paris, who then grinned in response sensing something of the big man's thoughts.

* * *

Sol's Heliosphere - Voyager:-

Soon they reached the general area of the transwarp emissions; with Starfleet's last encounter with the Borg still fresh in everyone's mind the ship was on Yellow Alert/Battle readiness, as their sensors gathered the incoming information.

"Captain; Sensors are picking up a ship," reported the Lieutenant at the Science station.

"Borg, Lieutenant?" he asked checking the display beside him, still not quite use to it being on his left instead of his right.

"No, Sir," the male Lieutenant in Teal said a frown in his voice.

"Do we have visual?" he asked looking at Op's.

"I'm not sure, Sir," said Campbell.

"Kim?" questioned Paris.

"There is something there, but it appears to be in a state of temporal flux," he said working his console as he spoke. "I think I've got ...... something," he tone, very much reminiscent of his first time on Voyager. Paris recognised it and responded in kind:

"I'm sure you can give a better description than that, Mr. Kim!" Chakotay gave him a sideways questioning look, as the male's infections had been so like Janeway's, but Paris only smiled, still looking to Kim. The Asian man grinned, still working his console.

"I've got a visual," he said and put it up on the main view screen. Chakotay stood and stared, whispering a name. Paris stood with him and spoke his rank in a questioning manner, which brought the tattooed male out of his daze to smile uncertainly at his First Officer.

"We're receiving a hail. Audio only."

"Let's hear it."

=/\= Greetings Voyager. Who is your Captain, please? =/\=

Chakotay wasn't sure, but he thought he recognised the voice, he ordered the channel open, both ways so he could reply.

"Greeting, stranger. I Chakotay am Captain of the Federation Starship Voyager," he responded, feeling puzzled by the voice and also proud that – yes **he** is Captain of Voyager.

=/\= Pleasure Captain Chakotay. We invite you and your sister to come aboard. =/\=

Paris made the sign for the audio to be muted. "Captain?" he questioned urgently, his face reflecting his worries and concerns.

"There's nothing to fear, Tom," he responded with a quiet smile. The other vessel was registering as more solid and stable by the minute. Kim and Campbell reported that the ship was very much in their time frame.

"What about the transwarp emissions?" the XO asked.

"The ship is equipped with transwarp drive," Kim noted. "No Borg life signs," he added, with a smile. Chakotay asked for the channel to be re-opened.

"Invitation accepted. I'll be with you directly. Voyager out."

"Chakotay is that wise?" questioned Paris, standing much closer to the tattooed male than was really necessary.

"From your standpoint perhaps not, Mr. Paris," his eyes returning to the view screen and the white swan shaped ship stationed there off their port bow. "Magaski won't bite," then he grinned at Tom, knowing only the younger fair-haired man had heard him. "You have the Bridge, Commander," he said and strode out via the turbo-lift; calling over the com-link for his sister to join him in transporter room one.

"What's all this about, **Captain**?" she asked, stressing his rank rather than calling him by name; as she stormed into the room.

"I'm sure everything will be explained by those we're about to meet," he told her, inviting her to join him on the transporter platform. "Ensign?"

"Co-ordinates are set, Captain. Whenever you're ready, Sir."

"Energise," he ordered, now that Sekaya stood beside him.

* * *

Sol's Heliosphere - Magaski:-

The pair re-materialised in an area that was both familiar and yet different. The female behind the control console smiled at the tattooed male.

"Hello, Owissa," he said returning her smile warmly.

"Chakotay; and you must be Sekaya?"

"Yes," she acknowledged puzzled. "Chakotay?" she questioned. For an answer he just took her hand, squeezed it gently and then followed the lead of the ginger haired female he'd called Owissa. She silently led them through the sleek ship up to the Mess area where the others awaited their arrival. Chakotay introduced everyone to Sekaya including the two Abnakians who were now in humanoid form.

"I'm surprised you're here," he said quietly, but pleased none-the-less.

"So are we," Jabez the eldest male said. "But there maybe a reason for that; **You**."

"**Me**!?" he questioned, frowning puzzled.

"Not you exactly, Captain," said a voice that sounded so like his own. A dark bulky shadow stood up from the shaded corner where it had been silently watching the events unfold before it, its dark eyes taking in the female standing next to the tattooed man. The shadow moved into the light allowing its shape and form to be revealed into something more recognisable.

"Father!?" she whispered, taking in the male's form.

"No, Sekaya. He is me." His sister looked from one to the other and back again very confused. "Janeway never liked these time paradoxes and now I understand why," he said.

"Agreed," said the older Chakotay, the lighting playing in his silver hair. "Sekky?" he invited gently, holding out his arms to her. Still looking very confused the tattooed female responded and was enfolded into the older male's warm embrace.

"You shouldn't call her that, you know. She's a grown woman who can bite."

"Of that I have no doubt," giving the young woman a gentle squeeze. Sekaya sighed deeply putting her own arms around him; she eased away from him and gave him a watery smile. He cupped her face in his hands and using his thumbs wiped away her silent tears.

"It's been a long time, Sekaya. I've missed you," he told her, his smile happy and sad at the same time. "I hope he's been kind to you?" his tone almost conspiratorial, looking at his younger self accusingly.

"Yes; he has. It is me that perhaps hasn't been so honest with him," she told him looking shyly at the Starfleet Captain. Their first mission together still fresh in their minds and what Crell Moset had got up to. The others watched silently, letting the siblings deal with their unsaid hurts in their own way. At that point Captain Chakotay drew closer to the pair and was drawn into the bear hug. The three siblings held onto one another as if they would never let go. Sekaya felt the love of both males for her and each other, so much so that any unease she felt against her brother melted away. As the hug eased, she reached up and kissed the older male's cheek and then held onto the Captain's hand as they finally parted. It warmed Chakotay's heart to feel her hand in his; even his older self smiled approvingly.

"Commander; we don't have much time," Jabez said quietly, gently cutting into the emotionally charged scene.

"No of course not," he sighed, coming to himself and taking in his fellow crew mates. He suggested they all sat down and he explained the circumstances that had brought Magaski and Voyager to this point. No one went into great detail, but the Starfleet pair could fill in the blanks for themselves. He even revealed what he'd discovered on Voyager's return to Earth in 2394.

"She had died how I do not know. Starfleet weren't very forthcoming on that point and most of our people were scattered. Some returned to Earth to try to pick up the pieces, but....." he closed his eyes against the tears and pain.

"So you took a spirit walk along the Hanging Road," the Captain said. Sekaya looked shocked.

"He hadn't reckoned on us finding him in time," Olan said with a smile.

"Did the Admiral?"

"No;" was the soft affirmative. Sekaya wasn't sure who'd spoken, not that it mattered.

"Captain a word of advice – play for your family and friends."

"Ill give it some thought, Commander," he responded, his dark eyes not leaving the others face.

"What will you do now?" their sister asked, only to frown puzzled at the mirrored grins that appeared on both male's faces.

"Explore! What else!" they both said together and laughed.

"We'll have the best of both worlds," noted one.

"You'll work for Starfleet and keep them on their toes."

"Whilst you'll explore the Delta Quadrant or wherever."

"Oh it'll be the Delta Quadrant," the older male assured him.

"Time to go," noted Hakan. Reluctantly the two males sighed, stood and shook hands.

"Take care of Sekky."

"I will," he promised.

"Be a good little sister for him," giving her a soft look. She hugged him and felt his strong arms embrace her lovingly, before reluctantly letting her go.

"Look after yourself," she softly scolded him, her voice choked with tears.

"Tatti; make sure he doesn't get into any trouble, especially with shuttles."

"We'll do our level best, Captain," she said grinning, ignoring the older male's indignant and affronted expression. Those who'd not already returned to the bridge grinned knowing that Chakotay was only teasing. These said their goodbyes to the siblings and gathered round the Commander protectively. It was Tatiana who took them back to the transporter.

"Will you be returning to Abnaki or Kaldora?" he asked, standing on the transporter pad, Sekaya beside him.

"Maybe," she said sadly

"Safe journey Little Silver," he said in the Abnaki language.

"Safe journey to you also, Shikasha," she said and faded from view.

* * *

Sol heliosphere – Voyager:-

Next they found themselves on the bridge of Voyager in the command area, surrounded by a startled crew.

"Report Mr. Paris," he said commandingly, giving the crew something positive to focus on.

"Everything is normal here, Sir," he said trying to reign in his shock.

"Captain the ship is fading," noted Campbell, busying herself with the readings her console was showing her from their sensors.

"I'm reading a transwarp signature, Captain." On the screen the white swan shaped ship faded and then in a flash of bluish-green she was gone. Sekaya squeezed her brother's hand, the pair having arrived on the bridge hand in hand. He returned the gesture and smiled at her. Paris was acutely aware something special and silent had passed between the brother and sister; his quietly calling the male by rank broke the spell between the siblings. Chakotay ordered that they carry out a full survey of the area using all of Voyager's available resources.

"That could take days!" piped up the Lieutenant at Science.

"Probably. We don't want to return empty handed to Admiral Hayes, now do we!?" his tone light. Grins greeted this pointed statement and the crew got to work so as not to disappoint the Admiral who'd ordered them to the heliosphere.

"Interesting trip, Captain?" Paris asked as the pair sat down in their command chairs together, Sekaya having left the bridge.

"Yes, Tom; very interesting," he smiled. Kim and Paris exchanged looks knowing that none of what had taken place on the other ship over the last two to three hours would find its way into any official logs – if at all. He checked the console beside him, saw was well, thus he told Paris he'd be in his Ready Room and handed command to Cmdr. Tom Paris.

"Don't be late for the 'fireside' storytelling, Commander," he said pointedly and strode off the bridge.

* * *

He walked directly to the room's upper level and stood gazing out of the view ports at the many stars. He also silently counted and then went to the replicator, just as the door chime sounded.

"Come," he called retrieving the two mugs that appeared at his keyed in commands. "Yes, Mr. Paris?" he grinned, turning to face his XO.

"I must be getting as bad as you then," he noted teasingly, taking the offered mug from the tattooed male and sitting down on the seating. Chakotay only grinned, yet remained standing as he sipped his tea, watching the stars lost in thought.

"Want to share?" asked a voice softly after a moments continued silence.

"Not at the moment, Tom," sitting himself down.

"If ever?" the younger male added knowingly.

"Possible," he acknowledged; they talked about ships business, the general morale of the crew and the storytelling session for that evening.

"Do you think the idea of doing it round a campfire will work?"

"Could be fun," he said, taking both mugs and recycling them. "Why not discuss it with Counsellor Astall," he advised. "If you don't mind!" his tone of voice pointed, but his dark eyes dancing. Paris smiled broadly, stood smartly and said:

"Aye, Captain," giving the man an old fashioned salute and then returned to the bridge.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Chakotay stood at the view ports deep in thought, his Spirit guide/nagual whispered through his mind like a cold winter wind filled with the sound of gently falling snowflakes. In his mind's eyes he saw a large white wolf loping through the silver trunked trees of the winter night forest; it stopped and lifted its noble head and sang to the full moon that lighted his path. He shivered as the sound pulsed through him, filling him with its haunting song of freedom and life.

He sighed deeply turning from the starry vista his eyes alighted on a picture. He walked over and picked it up and smiled; it was one of the whole senior staff just before Neelix left the fold, yet his eyes were drawn to the male with the tattoo, something in the picture had changed, that this younger person was different. Putting the picture back down in its place he caught his own reflection in the blank computer monitor screen. Dark eyes that had been resigned and empty now shone with quiet happiness and contentment out of his still strong handsome face framed by thick silver white hair. He breathed deeply filling his broad chest.

=/\= Cmdr. Chakotay to the bridge. =/\=

"Acknowledged, Jabez. I'm on my way," he said happily, leaving his quarters - aboard the Starship Magaski - to join his new family and the new adventures that awaited the new adventures that awaited them.

The End


End file.
